Stretching our Comfort Zones
Written by Abby Braun on the Second Sunday of Lent
Growing up, my family spent most of our vacations camping. Staying overnight at a hotel was a rare treat, even when we were traveling for more than a week or two. This was, in part, a financial decision because camping is cheaper and allowed us to travel further and longer than if we had stayed in hotels. Mostly, though, we camped because my dad loved the outdoors and pitching a tent provided us an avenue for experiencing the natural world in the most basic and lovely ways. Of course my sisters and I were thrilled anytime we were able to enjoy the luxuries of a hotel stay: hot showers, swimming pools, comfortable beds. But my dad always reminded us that camping was good for the soul, not only because it allowed us to experience God’s creation more directly than we could when sleeping indoors but also because it stretched us outside our comfort zones to sleep on the ground and go without indoor plumbing.
I don’t camp nearly as much as I did when I was younger, and sometimes I wonder if I’m missing something important, if I’ve gotten too attached to the physical comforts of life… if, in general, I’m too attached to all of the familiar and comfortable patterns in my life. And so I relate to Peter’s response to seeing the glorified and transfigured Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah. “It is good that we are here, let us make three tents!” He wants to pitch a tent, not to step out of his comfort zone but as a way of holding on to a good moment, to keep the beautiful version of Jesus contained up on the mountain. Oh, how I do this in my own life. I want to hold onto the glorious moments and not let them go.
Of course, as the Scripture tells us, Peter doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. And what is God’s response to Peter’s idea? God sends a cloud and casts a shadow over them, and it is within this place of darkness and discomfort and confusion that we arrive at the most important part of the story. They hear a voice say, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to him.” It wasn’t until their vision was clouded that they heard the message that they needed to hear. For me, the lesson in this Scripture is the same lesson my dad taught me about camping: do not be afraid of the places that stretch you, the unknown places, the places that make you uncomfortable, the places where you cannot see a way forward. Go to these places, for it is there that you will hear God speaking to you most clearly.
Questions for Reflection:
When have you had an experience of transfiguration, of seeing something glorious and wanting to hold on to that moment?
What are the places in your own life where you feel like you are in a cloud, like a shadow is hanging over you? What might God have to say to you from within that place?
**************************
Abby Braun
Abby has served as a campus minister at St. Mary’s since 2012. After studying theology at the University of Notre Dame (BA ’05) and Pastoral Ministry at the University of Dayton (MA ’08), Abby spent four years as a Campus Minister at Saint Louis University where she met her husband, Bob. She is especially grateful to be a part of a Jesuit Parish that serves a University community. Abby works part-time at St. Mary’s and spends the rest of her days at home/toddling around Ann Arbor with her (almost) two-year-old daughter, Eleanor.
Email: aabraun@umich.edu