Are You Comfortably Uncomfortable?

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:18-19
 
 
The past couple of days we have talked about missing the signs. Yesterday, we discussed one reason we miss signs is because of the pressure that time is running out. But maybe for you there is no pressure of time. Instead, it is the desire to return to what is familiar or to what is comfortable - even if what is comfortable is actually extremely uncomfortable.
 
Many of us overlook signs because of unresolved trauma. Many of us find ourselves in a relationship with someone who identifies with our issues. Philosopher and critique Alain de Boton has a wonderful article in the NY Times where he says that when people are courting, they think they are looking for happiness when they are trying to find a mate, but at a subconscious level what they are really looking for is something that they are familiar with.  
 
So that, if they were raised in a home by people who didn’t really know how to express their love, they will end up connecting with someone who has that same challenge. Or if they were raised by a parent or parents with anger management issues they will find a bond with someone who has anger management issues as well.  
 
Perhaps you know exactly what it is that Alain de Boton is talking about. Maybe you can point directly to that thing that you can’t get over, or something that has held barring over your life for far too long. And instead of dealing with it, you simply revert to finding someone who understands the issue, or maybe even has the same problem. You do this because it’s comfortable. And by comfortable, I mean normal. Because the reality is… you’re not comfortable at all.  
 
Do not miss the signs in someone simply because they identify with a problem you have. God does not desire for you to stay stuck in the past. In Isaiah 43, He says do not dwell on the past because He is doing something new. God wants to give you something new, something better. Do not revert back to what is old, but cling tight to this promise, and watch God deliver you from the comfortably uncomfortable!