The Discomfort Zone
My family moved around a lot while I was growing up. Between kindergarten and the twelfth grade I attended seven schools, lived in five different cities, double that many homes, and went to five different churches. The numbers just get higher if you add my life before and after school age. I am a shy introvert by nature, but all of our moving really helped me learn to step outside of my comfort zone when it came to meeting new people and making friends. Experience taught me that staying within the realms of comfort did not magically bring joy in each of my new situations. I had to take risks and put myself out there to make friends and have a fun school experience.
I still have the same introvert struggles as an adult, but now they play out in areas such as greeting visitors at church, inviting people to our home, investing in the lives of younger women, and most importantly, sharing the gospel. My "comfort zone" tells me how happy I am wallowing in my own selfish presence, but the Holy Spirit reminds me daily that I am not my own. I was bought with a price and am now a slave to righteousness. Today I was reminded of the passage in Matthew 16 which says (v. 24) "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.' " How can I continue to focus on what makes me feel comfortable when I have been commanded to deny my own desires and impulses and embrace the desires of Christ no matter the cost? Matthew and Luke record Jesus making this statement at two different times, so let's toss the idea that it's merely a suggestion. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." and in Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
As a new and transformed creation in Christ, we have the ability to go beyond the comforts of the flesh, and we are commanded to do it. In my initial example, it took a step of faith for me to put myself out there in each of my new situations, but doing so was the only way to gain friendships and countless happy experiences that I can now look back on. In the same way, we are missing out on the joys, blessings, and intimacy of Christ when we fear the things outside of our comfort and control. Your struggles may look different than mine, but each selfish and controlling heart looks the same to The Lord. It's time for us to step up to the plate and represent the One who took the sin of the world and the shame of the Father on our behalf. We can't fully serve Christ when we stay inside our comfort zone. That communicates that we'll only follow Him to the ends of our happiness, not to the ends of the earth. Let's be the women of faith that God calls us to be!
Today's Takeaway: Don't be held back from your full potential of serving Christ. The same grace that saved you will transform and empower you to live for Him!
I still have the same introvert struggles as an adult, but now they play out in areas such as greeting visitors at church, inviting people to our home, investing in the lives of younger women, and most importantly, sharing the gospel. My "comfort zone" tells me how happy I am wallowing in my own selfish presence, but the Holy Spirit reminds me daily that I am not my own. I was bought with a price and am now a slave to righteousness. Today I was reminded of the passage in Matthew 16 which says (v. 24) "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.' " How can I continue to focus on what makes me feel comfortable when I have been commanded to deny my own desires and impulses and embrace the desires of Christ no matter the cost? Matthew and Luke record Jesus making this statement at two different times, so let's toss the idea that it's merely a suggestion. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." and in Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
As a new and transformed creation in Christ, we have the ability to go beyond the comforts of the flesh, and we are commanded to do it. In my initial example, it took a step of faith for me to put myself out there in each of my new situations, but doing so was the only way to gain friendships and countless happy experiences that I can now look back on. In the same way, we are missing out on the joys, blessings, and intimacy of Christ when we fear the things outside of our comfort and control. Your struggles may look different than mine, but each selfish and controlling heart looks the same to The Lord. It's time for us to step up to the plate and represent the One who took the sin of the world and the shame of the Father on our behalf. We can't fully serve Christ when we stay inside our comfort zone. That communicates that we'll only follow Him to the ends of our happiness, not to the ends of the earth. Let's be the women of faith that God calls us to be!
Today's Takeaway: Don't be held back from your full potential of serving Christ. The same grace that saved you will transform and empower you to live for Him!
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