There are many places in the Bible about "Comfort Zones", or more precisely "Stepping out of your Comfort Zone". I have had inner struggles with my comfort zone recently. I have been asked to take another foster child. The little girl I have now is a dream baby, easy peasy, not a trouble to be found. Taking another child would mean stepping out of my zone and possibly taking a child that is "hard". The Bible says;
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 ESV
So why am I so hesitant to the challenge of a new foster child? Because I am selfish. Because I am a coward. If God didn't want me to be challenged He would have never put on my heart to foster children.
In John 15:16 ESV the Bible says ~ "You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
Right there in black and white ~ He chose me. I need to honor Him.
I have conversations in my own head about what to do, what not to do. I like to think those conversations are with God, like bouncing ideas off another so that things make sense or appear clearer when said out loud. If He doesn't want me to grow in my Faith and my walk then I have nothing to offer myself or anyone else. But indeed, He wants me to grow, he wants me to do His work, he wants me to help open eyes and open ears to His almighty love and plan for all of us.
"Be the doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" James 1:22 ESV
Yea, it is easy to sit back and let life happen all around you, to gripe and complain about this and that, but at the end of the day what does that get you? There are people who live for adventure and travel the world, there are people that love excitement and jump out of airplanes, there are people who are moved to help others and sell everything they have and move to a third world country and become missionaries. I love the idea of all of those things, I really do, but is it practical for my current season? No, not currently. So what can I bring to the party? What has God blessed me with? What gifts has He given me that I am to share?
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control"
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
Fear can cripple a person, fear is a dark deceitful place to be, fear is the enemy trying to consume you, fear is an angry ugly position to find yourself dwelling in. Fear will take you a little bit at a time and eventually will control everything you are. Fear creates hatred for what is unknown, fear creates a dividing line between groups of people, fear will take over your sleep, it will take over your heart, it will take over your emotions and turn you into a dependent, useless, agonized person.
Fear used to run my life. I was afraid of things that were not in my "comfort zone", I was afraid of loving and losing again, I was afraid of what was outside my door, but mostly I was afraid of living. On the surface merely living seems pretty easy, but once you open your heart to God living takes on a whole new meaning.
John 14:6 ESV ~ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I don't dread waking up in the morning and going to work anymore, because He leads the way, I don't have to control it anymore. Giving God "back" what I thought I controlled wasn't easy but it was essential. However, one cannot give back what one never owned. People try to control everything in their lives, money, appearance, happiness, friends, jobs, others emotions the list can go on and on. But really God owns everything, he just let's us manage it for him temporarily. My house, my clothes, my car, my job, my money, my children, all of it, everything I title as "mine" is really His. When I manage those things the way He wants me to, then I will be rewarded. If I manage those things the way "I" think is best, I hit a brick wall, I often say "why me" "why are these crappy things happening to me", "why is this so hard?", "what did I do to deserve this?"
Psalms 24:1 ESV ~ A Psalm of David, The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Matthew 6:24 ESV
"No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
Godly things or Earthly things? We are a civilization of "things". We should be a civilization of "Godly things". We are lead from an early age to value "things". MY toys, MY room, MY friends. But we should teach "MY GOD". I have stepped out of my little box and into the arms of Jesus Christ my savior. Everything is not honky dory, nor do I expect it ever to be. But each day He guides me on my path. Each day he puts something in front of me for reflection. I ask Him for His guidance, I pray I make the right choices, but I am human and God knows I will make mistakes and choose wrong. But He loves me so much He forgives my sins over and over, time and time again.
He knows our path way before we were born.....
Jeremiah 1:5 ESV "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations".
He never intended us to have a comfort zone, it isn't really anything that is physical or tangible, and yet we go through our lives trying to manage what isn't ours to begin with.
I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and into God's grace. Erase that line you drew in the sand, say goodbye to those toxic people in your life. Open the door and welcome into your life a new person, someone that needs to meet God. We are all broken, we all have baggage, why would you turn your back on a child of God just because they look different, talk different or may be a challenge to you and your family? Dust off your Bible and let it fall open and read what God has to say. Find a church and walk in with no expectations, introduce yourself to a new person and allow God's grace to flood into you. Fall onto your knees and ask God to forgive you for your sins, invite him into your heart and your life. Step out of your comfort zone, volunteer some time, some money. Go on a mission trip, make a difference in someone's life. Pack a bagged lunch and give it to a person who needs a meal. Smile and say hello to someone on the street. Allow that person who seems to be in a hurry to get in front of you on the highway, say a prayer for them that their day gets better. Love your neighbor, even if they annoy you daily, say a prayer that God graces their lives today. Hold open the door for a mom with her arms full and kids crying. Give grace to someone who is openly angry and mean. Make eye contact, smile, say thank you. Tip your waiter or waitress appropriately, turn off your cell phone and get on the floor with your kids, make a sheet fort and play with your children. Teach a child about God, teach a teenager about God, teach and adult about God.
Leave your comfort zone behind.................God has a better plan for you.
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