Air conditioning, a rather new invention. The first one was invented in the 1920’s by Willis Carrier to help control the humidity in the printing plant where he worked. In the thirties and forties, air conditioning would make its way into movie theaters, department stores, and office buildings. Yet even as late as 1965, only ten percent of homes had air. Which leads me to this question, how did people survive?
I came home this week to a hot and humid house. Apparently, my HVAC unit finally lost its battle with the Tennessee heat. I like to keep my thermostat temp on the high end in the summer to save money, but even I was suffocating in a house that had reached 87 degrees.
To make matters worse, I couldn’t get a technician to come out and check the unit until the next day. Have you ever tried sleeping in a Mexican sauna? I can imagine that would be the equivalent of what I experienced that night.
The next day didn’t get any better. Our technician informed us that he tried his best, but the HVAC unit could not be saved. We would need to buy a replacement, a $3,500 replacement.
Upon hearing this I did what any normal person would do, I grieved.
I’ve heard there are five stages of grief, and I’ve experienced them all: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
My current status is somewhere in between depression and acceptance.
But I keep going back to this thought: comfort has a cost. We don’t like to think about it, but it’s true.
Some of you who are pastors are so comfortable in your positions that you’re scared to make the changes necessary to reach the next generation because you’re worried it might cost you your position.
Some of you who have the potential to be great leaders are so comfortable in your daily routine that you’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to take yourself to the next level.
Some of you are so comfortable just showing up to church and going home that you will never know the blessings of serving someone other than yourself.
You can choose to ignore it all you want, but your comfort has a cost.
In what area of your life are you too comfortable? What is it costing you? Please share your comments, and if you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the blog for awesome tips on church growth, leadership, and more delivered to your inbox each week.
