It is the nature of every human to seek comfort and security. - Donald Miller

Miller goes on to say that if people stay anywhere, for any extended length of time they tend to put down roots and want to stay there.  There fore, he says, change is hard and painful for people.  And, in any good story, it takes motivation for a character to change their given previous ways.  Miller says that, in a story, this is called the inciting incident.  Essentially, the inciting incident is circumstance or event that introduces conflict in a character’s life no matter how subtle or cataclysmic that might be.  To illustrate how resistant to change people can be, Miller uses the extreme example of victims of abuse.  He points out how they will resist leaving or return to the sites of their abuse. 

It’s interesting that our discussion at LGBC last Saturday really touched on this idea.  That is that suffering can be a very strong inciting incident.  Almost necessary in a way to get us to move.

I wonder, as I think of the great heroes of the Bible, how hard was it for them to change their circumstances?  It must have been very hard for Moses to leave the comfort and peace of his shepherd life to return to Egypt.  It must have been hard for Abraham to just get up and leave everything he knew for the unknown.  In fact, just read the famous “hall of faith” chapter of Hebrews (i.e. ch. 11) and it might have you wondering, how did any of those people have the hutzpa to do what they did.  I woud venture to say that God placed inciting incidents in each of their lives.  Sure, that might have involved a super natural call of some sort.  But it most likely included some sort of life conflict that brought about a wave of change for the hero.

But how does relate to our life?  Well, I think it’s fair to say that we all are a fairly change resistant bunch.  I know I am.  I constantly find things in my life that God is calling me to that I don’t necessarily want to do.  Even when I know it’s good for me…I don’t want to change.  I don’t like the place that I’m at….but the future is scary.  Change is scary.  But I am trusting God for the future.  I will trust Him for the outcome.  He’s proven Himself to me to be trustworthy.  He’s never let me down.  Never left me or forsaken me, just like He has promised.  I have every reason to believe that He will come through for me.  And still, all this change is like willingly jumping into a deep ravine.  You’ve got a bungy chord attached….but will it really hold you?

Again, fellow traveler, I’ll lead you with questions and not answers:  What change is God calling you to?  What are you fearful of?  What areas do you need to trust Him more in?

Well, there is this, perhaps your inciting incident can also be an insightful incident.