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An Uncomfortable Journey
Friday, August 22, 2025 by Sarah Schwerin

Categories: Life Lessons

This summer I spent a month writing from a 17th-century farmhouse in the English countryside. History oozed from every brick and tree. Every morning, I awoke to birdsong and sunlight streaming through my open window. During my daily outside writing sessions, the beauty of my surroundings awed and inspired me. The charming house was an ideal setting to begin writing a new novel. Each day brought a fresh discovery as I roamed the gardens and fields—a new plant, a new animal, a new view, a new sculpture left behind by another resident artist.

My writing residency was a wonderful opportunity, but I experienced some discomfort along the way.

Many days my feet were sore from the long walk into town. My legs ached from climbing three flights of stairs multiple times a day. I missed having my own bathroom, going to my favorite stores, and driving my car to run errands. Most of all, I missed my friends and family. I felt overwhelmed with the differences and newness of everything. I yearned for the comforts of home.

The ancient Israelites must have missed the comforts of their homes. They’d walked in the desert for forty years. Their feet were sore. Unused to trudging through sand, their muscles ached. They must have missed the familiar sights and sounds. Everything was new and different. Just like me, they grumbled. Let’s go back home. It was better there. Why can’t we turn around and return to what we knew?

Yet, if they’d turned around, they’d have missed the gifts and blessings God wanted to give them. Many of them did miss out because they wanted to stay comfortable, not moving toward the path God planned for them.

If I had left England when I felt uncomfortable, I’d have missed out on God’s blessings too. New friends and new experiences. The beauty of the countryside. Architecture I’d never seen before. A slower-paced life. Reading my Bible in the cool morning air and listening for God’s voice as I quieted my heart.

I thought my month-long writing residency was a time to catch up on my writing, yet it was so much more. A time to connect with who God made me to be and what He has called me to do.

We yearn for the safety of the familiar. The known can seem better than the unknown. Even if we aren’t happy with our present circumstances, we stay where we are comfortable, not moving forward or backward.

God sometimes asks us to embrace new opportunities and new experiences. It might not be writing in the English countryside. Or maybe it is? But it could be showing kindness to someone you’ve never talked to, spending more time praying and reading your Bible, visiting someone who’s depressed, or going on a short-term mission trip with your church.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, wanting to return home—but home was enslavement. God told them they’d stayed in Egypt long enough, and they needed to begin their journey. Have you been stuck in one place long enough? Where is God calling you to go?

Ask God to guide you on your journey. He has plans for you. They may not always be comfortable, but they will be richer than anything you could have imagined. You never know; your plans could include writing in an English farmhouse, too. If so, let me know so we can coordinate plans.

“The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain’” (Deuteronomy 1:6 ESV).

“For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them” (Deuteronomy 4:31 ESV).

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Comments

Yvonne Morgan From Oklahoma At 9/7/2025 2:43:37 PM

Very inspiring message Sarah. Sometimes, we have to do the uncomfortable to stretch our faith.

Reply by: Sarah Schwerin

Thanks for reading!

Mandy From Kentucky At 8/29/2025 9:10:18 AM

Beautiful and inspiring. I often find myself referencing the Israelites and the faith they had to walk away from all they knew to face the unknown. So when I’m facing the “Red Seas” of my life, I remind myself, “Girl! If God promises you dry land, there will be dry land.Take that step!”