“Running a marathon is comfortable”...said NO ONE EVER.

Marathons are hard-and that is probably an understatement! They push every single runner to the brink of exhaustion. They take training and coaching and practice and experience to do well! You can’t just pick up one day and say-”Hey! I think I will run a marathon today!”

Training for and running a marathon push every person to feel and become uncomfortable but most of them will tell you that the high they feel is worth every second.

You might be able to see where I am going with this...no one is asking you to train for a marathon BUT...

Are you righteously uncomfortable??

Let me explain...

The doctrine of righteous discomfort:

Personal growth does not come from comfort or ease.

It always comes from effort, stretching, and reaching.

Righteous discomfort causes us to exert and extend ourselves.

The Lord—through inspired leaders, through the spirit, and through powerful doctrines—will push us to do hard things, things which bless us and shape our character.

Righteous discomfort does not equal misery, penalties or punishment, as some might assume. It does not mean you cannot do things you enjoy. It does not mean you have to find things that are mundane and boring.

I am not suggesting that you cannot relax, meditate, and enjoy the beauties and the opportunities of the earth. I am merely suggesting that, as sons and daughters of God, we must challenge ourselves to be more like Christ.

King Limhi said: “But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage” (Mosiah 7:33).

I believe a slice of this bondage he refers to is the restrictions that bad habits, poor choices, idleness, weakness, and fear of difficult things put on us. They are chains preventing us from being FREE to grow and progress!

Righteous discomfort causes a:

• stretching of skills.
• growth of attributes.
• development of greater character.
• progression of intellect.
• expansion of ideas and capacities.
• increased talents and gifts.
• an escalation of confidence and conviction as we expand our horizons and opportunities and knowledge!

The goal of choosing righteous discomfort is to eventually allow you to be comfortable in the presence of God because you have grown and stretched and become a wonderful son or daughter of God.

This is AMAZING and I don’t know about you but there isn’t even one single thing on that list that doesn’t make me feel excited and full of a deep desire to achieve them!

Bring on more skills and great character! I’ll definitely take a few more talents and a bigger dose of confidence! Yep! I want all those things!

I am definitely not saying that fun, entertainment, joy, happiness or wholesome activities (and for some this may include running a marathon!) are bad; they are not! In fact-they are an important part of the plan of God! “...and men are, that they might have JOY.” (2 Ne 2:25)

The problem lies in when these things overtake and surpass the other more important spiritual pieces of our lives. God always tries to remind us that true prosperity is not obtaining worldly possessions and power, rather prosperity is obtaining plentiful peace through persevering and adhering to powerful principles.

King Benjamin said: “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).

One of the great challenges of the marathon of life is to run with great desire and intensity but not to run so frantically and recklessly that you are not able to finish the race.

May you always remember that with the Savior as your coach, directing your course and your race, you can run an extremely difficult race capably and effectively, finishing in convincing fashion.