I find myself falling into routine that provides comfort and contentment. Keeping things in this comfort zone usually makes the days go smoother; no unexpected surprises or big challenges. But in the case of our relationships, it is so easy to fall into the danger of complacency when we focus so much on keeping things the same.
Complacency is allowing the monotony of your daily life and routines to put you on autopilot. You no longer seek to grow closer to your spouse and neglect actively pursuing them as your partner. You just assume your children are self-sufficient and don’t see when they’re crying out for your attention. You allow yourself to slowly start falling out of your walk with Christ.
Our pastor at church this week spoke of the dangers of mistaking contentment with complacency this past week and it really hit home. I have always considered myself a Christian since my younger years, but fell into this monotonous routine that lead to no longer reading my bible, attend church, or actively pursue a relationship with Christ.
I felt God start pulling on my heart this year more than ever before. While I know that God is not restricted to the four walls of a church and He still actively pursues us every day, I arrived at a point where I needed MORE.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
It’s so easy to harden our hearts towards God when we go through hard times. Blaming God for the misfortunes that fall on us.
But God has promised us in this verse that His plans for us are to prosper. When we choose to let go of OUR plan for our lives and step out of our comfort (out of our complacency) He will give us hope. Growth is necessary for all aspects of our lives. To go backwards leads to a slow death, staying still to stagnation, but seeking Christ in all we do will bring us new life and into the plan we were designed for.
Stepping out of complacency and into an active walk with the Lord is a decision to make every day, and one I hope to make for this New Year.