Christianity Was Never Meant to Be Comfortable

We live in a generation where commitment is treated like a burden and convenience like a birthright.

From RSVPing “maybe” to a dinner party to hopping between jobs, churches, and even relationships, the pattern is clear: we avoid being pinned down. In the age of FOMO (fear of missing out), many would rather drift endlessly in a sea of possibilities than anchor themselves to a place or people for the long haul. But this modern allergy to commitment isn’t just a social inconvenience it’s a spiritual crisis.

We’ve started applying the same disposable mindset we use for apps and subscriptions to our churches, marriages, and friendships. Social media trains us to scroll past people as quickly as we scroll past headlines. As a result, many of our relationships become paper-thin—easily edited, deleted, or replaced when discomfort arises.

This detachment, what Pope Francis described as a “culture of the ephemeral,” teaches us to treat people the way we treat products: use, discard, move on. But the Christian life was never meant to be a consumer experience. It was meant to be a covenantal one.

The Countercultural Call of the Church

If the Church hopes to stand firm in the 21st century, it must stop catering to comfort and start calling people to covenant.

That means inviting believers into something that demands more from them, not less. Not just a “me and Jesus” faith, but a cross-bearing community where people belong even when it’s hard, stay even when it’s uncomfortable, and love even when it costs.

And yes it will cost.

Covenants always do.

But this is precisely where their power lies. Covenants, unlike comfort, shape us. They call us to put others before ourselves, to grow in humility, sacrifice, and steadfastness. They remind us that real freedom isn’t found in keeping all your options open, but in choosing the better way and sticking with it.

What Happens When Comfort Replaces Covenant

A youth pastor once shared a story that illustrates this cultural shift perfectly. His youth group had a weekend retreat planned, and students had signed up well in advance. But days before the trip, a parent called to cancel on behalf of her daughter. Why? The girl found out her friends were going to another event, and she didn’t want to miss it.

The pastor challenged the parent: “But she committed to this already.” Still, the parent defended her daughter’s right to change plans for the sake of a “better fit.”

This is the dilemma the Church faces today comfort over covenant. Convenience over commitment. But if Jesus chose the cross over comfort, how can we expect to follow Him without doing the same?

91% of Millennials now expect to stay in a job for less than three years. Young adults are increasingly detached from religion, community, and even long-term friendships. Our problem isn’t a lack of passion it’s a fear of permanence. And that fear is choking the life out of our discipleship.

The Power of Promises

In an age that idolizes autonomy, the idea of being bound by a promise seems absurd. But David Brooks, speaking to Christian university leaders, once said:

“Life doesn’t come from how well you keep your options open but how well you close them off and realize a higher freedom.”

This is the paradox of Christian commitment in saying no to everything, we say yes to something better.

That’s why covenant communities like Christian colleges with behavioral expectations or churches with membership covenants still matter. They’re not about rules for the sake of rules. They’re about shaping people into the kind of individuals who can love well, serve deeply, and remain faithful even when it hurts.

In Psalm 15:4, the righteous person is described as one “who keeps an oath even when it hurts.” That’s covenantal integrity. That’s Christlike character. And that’s exactly what we need to rediscover.

Bound to Christ, Bound to One Another

Hannah Arendt once wrote, “Without being bound to the fulfillment of our promises, we would never be able to keep our identities.” In other words, your identity isn’t just about self-expression it’s about promise-keeping. Without commitment, we lose our sense of self. We drift.

But when we make and keep promises especially the hard ones we find our truest selves. Because we find Jesus there. The One who kept His promise all the way to the cross. The One who doesn’t leave when things get hard. The One who binds us not only to Himself, but to each other.

That’s why covenantal community isn’t just biblical it’s beautiful.

It’s not always comfortable. In fact, it rarely is. But it’s comforting in the deepest, most enduring sense. It gives us a place to stand, people to walk with, and a Savior to follow all the way home.

So if you feel the pull to wander, to avoid, to disconnect resist it. Stay. Press in. Be shaped. Commit to a local church. Love people even when they disappoint you. Keep your promises, even when it costs.

Because no one ever said Christianity should be comfortable.

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