Out of our comfort zone

When I go to the gym, I usually warm up in the treadmill but only in the manual workout, the other day I finally figured out why I do this. I realized that in manual I am in control of the difficulty level, I know what to expect and I like that.  The truth is I don’t make it too hard, just enough to feel I am working.  I think in life we also like the manual mode; it doesn’t exist, but we still like to pretend it does.  So as I was walking in the treadmill I kept repeating “please God… don’t let me get too comfortable!” you see, we enjoy our comfort zone and we don’t want to leave it.  I think deep inside we know that we have been called to do so much more, but we just stay in one place because it is familiar territory. Jesus said “The foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.” (Matthew 8:20)  Are we ready to leave our comfortable space and do what God has called us to do?  And I don’t mean we are going to have to leave our home, material possessions and live in hardship… God decides what to do and each case is different, but many times the comfort is in the known, staying in the things we feel we can handle, it is an inner comfort.

Sometimes I think about what others miss when I choose not to do anything and about what I miss when I am afraid to take that leap of faith.  I can see Jesus lovingly telling me “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”(Matthew 8:26) How can we really see God’s mighty power if we don’t take the opportunities He gives us so He can be glorified?   How can we be witnesses?  The www.freedictionary.com describes a witness as “One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced” How can we witness if we are too busy protecting our life from experiencing God firsthand?  One thing is to read about God and to know about Him, another is when we hold on to Him for our life, when we believe Him for a miracle, when we finally realize that we can’t do anything without Him,   When we are so broken that we feel we can’t even breathe, and yet, we know there is hope. Experiencing God firsthand is powerful and even more when He sends us to shine a light into dark territory.

During the weekend I heard a teaching about how we are in a team, God’s team.  When you belong to a team you don’t decide when to train, what uniform to wear, what games to play; you follow instructions and do it.  The coach makes decisions because he knows better and everyone in the team must play according to the plan for the team to come victorious.  Makes sense doesn’t it?

If we read carefully in the Bible, we can see how God loves to take people out of their comfort places, prepare them in the journey and use them mightily for His glory.  God told Abraham “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.”  (Genesis 12:1); Jacob had to leave the comfort of his home and so did Joseph when he was sold as a slave.  Moses escaped to the desert, Ruth had to live in a foreign land and Esther had to be part of the king’s harem, and those are only a few examples.  The disciples also had to go out of their comfort zone, and when Jesus was sending them out He told them “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few.  Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields.  Go now, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves…Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me.  And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me.  And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God who sent me.”  (Luke 10:2-3;16)  When the disciples came back they told Him all the wonderful things that happened and Jesus said “I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.  But don’t rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20)

May we become part of those workers out in the fields, spreading the peace of knowing God and may our hearts be full of joy as we hold on to God’s hand ready to be led where He knows we should be, out of our comfort zone and into His precious presence.