By: Kiera Hageman

This summer, I’m living in an unfamiliar city, in the basement of a family I had met one time before moving. The situation is not what I would consider my first choice, and in fact, I’ve found myself struggling with the feeling of being, well, uncomfortable.

You see, I don’t know how to get anywhere without my maps app; I don’t know where I should eat; I’m away from all my friends and family, and I’m sharing a bathroom with two people I don’t know all that well. As I was pondering this feeling of discomfort and, quite frankly, feeling a little sorry for myself, I came to the realization that this might be good for me. Not that being comfortable isn’t nice, but as humans, once we are consistently content, we tend to sit in this bubble, untouchable from the outside world’s problems. We become numb to real issues and even get comfortable sitting in our sin.

I think about this a lot when it comes to speaking up for life.

If there’s anything I’ve learned as a Y4Life leader, it’s that the idea of bringing up topics a large group of people won’t approve of is easier said than done. Even disagreeing with a close friend can seem daunting. If you attend a public university as I do, maybe you understand. I’m sure if you even live on this planet, you’ve gotten the “shaking in your boots” feeling — it’s frustrating!

However, as it turns out, discomfort isn’t a reliable compass for truth. In fact, Christians are called to be uncomfortable. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1). But the verse does not stop there! In verse two, Paul goes further, “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

There is a balance that Christians are called to live in. We are not called to condemn others from a place of pride, nor are we called to remain silent when God’s Word speaks clearly. We are called to love enough to tell the truth and to do so with humility, recognizing that we too are sinners in need of God’s grace every single day.

That is what makes speaking for life so challenging. It means entering conversations that may be awkward. It can even mean risking misunderstanding, rejection, or losing relationships.

It means refusing to let fear of discomfort outweigh our love for our neighbor.

The world tells us that love means affirming whatever makes someone feel good. Scripture tells us that love rejoices with the truth, not wrongdoing (1 Cor. 13:6). Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is gently point someone toward the God who created them, redeemed them, and calls them by name.

Speaking up for life is about so much more than winning arguments or posting the right thing online. It is about seeing every human life as one that Christ deemed worthy of dying for. It is about standing up for the unborn, caring for mothers and fathers, walking alongside families, and extending Christ’s mercy to those carrying guilt, grief, or regret.

Will those conversations always be comfortable? Probably not. But maybe that’s the point.

Jesus never promised His followers an easy or comfortable life. Instead, He told them to take up their cross and follow Him, to be imitators of God! Throughout Scripture, God’s people are continually called into places that require dependence on Him, not on their own confidence.

So as Colossians 3 states, put on the new self. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another. Forgive one another. Above all, put on love, “which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14).

So, if you find yourself physically uncomfortable, remember Christ took on the ultimate discomfort to fulfil the requirements of the law, assuring that we too can overcome the trials and tribulations of this life — we are His.

Here’s to living uncomfortably in the grace of our loving Father.

Kiera is a Junior at Kansas University where she studies Journalism. She is a team leader of the Y4Life team at KU.