May, Day 3: Things That Make Me Uncomfortable

1. Something that makes me physically uncomfortable: an apparent inability to hold a stable temperature! I get unusually hot and unusually cold...sometimes going back and forth between extremes pretty quickly...especially on days when the weather is temperamental/can't make up its mind. This has happened for years. When I am hot, I pour sweat - so much so that people frequently ask me if I am okay. When I am cold, I have to pile on layers of clothing and blankets. Then I get hot again.... I'm pretty sure it is a thyroid issue, but have avoided getting medical treatment for it because if the temperature regulation thing is my biggest problem, I can handle it without having to be on a medication for the rest of my life. But I'm sure it probably has a lot of other side effects, too.... One of these days I might get that looked at. But until then, I will continue to complain about being too hot and/or too cold. :)

2. Something that makes me emotionally uncomfortable: I am well-acquainted with grief, and have even had deep interest in working with grieving people (as a grief counselor, or hospice chaplain, or suicide hotline operator, or something). When I am talking with someone who is grieving/experiencing some sort of loss, I am a great listener, and I have no problem encouraging them to express their feelings and let their grief take its course, and find new ways to live without the person/thing that was lost. But I am horrible at offering physical comfort. I never know when it is appropriate to swoop in for the hug, or rub a back, or hold a hand.... I always feel tremendously awkward in those kinds of situations. There are very few people with whom I am physically comfortable initiating any kind of touch (small children are usually an exception to this, and even elderly people, to an extent). Sometimes it makes me feel a little helpless.

3. Something that makes me spiritually uncomfortable: It used to make me really uncomfortable when someone would ask a question (to or around me) that seemed like its reasonable answer would implicate that my deeply held beliefs might be wrong. Now I find it more uncomfortable when people refuse to ask questions that might make them think differently...or (more often) refuse to acknowledge answers that are different than what they have always believed. Don't get me wrong, it is good to have things one believes in and holds sacred. And I don't think you should change your mind every time a "new" answer comes along. But to be unwilling to admit that you might be wrong or even just not completely informed about something...? To be unwilling to admit that maybe God sometimes works in ways you might not expect or understand...? To feel personally threatened because someone believes something different than you...? Avoiding the kind of discomfort that is necessary to deepen one's understanding of truth...? That makes me uncomfortable.

Here's a thought:

 

It might also be appropriate to say, "If you want the world to change, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable." They say marriage is about compromise, which is not comfortable. I think most relationships are about compromising...not compromising truth or values, but at least being willing to sacrifice selfish privileges in order to hear and consider how someone else understands that truth.