Uncomfortable

I once had a coworker tell me that she was a creature of comfort. She functioned best, she said, in an environment where there was a place for everything and everything was is its place. That’s true for most of us.

But this woman carried her comfortable philosophy into her personal life as well. As one might expect, her home was perfectly organized and her schedule strictly adhered to, allowing little room for deviation in any area of her existence. She had it all under control. A perfect, comfortable life.

She was miserable.

Afraid to stray out of the world she had created for herself.

After working with this woman for more than ten years, I did not see any change in her behaviour. She was exactly the same person she’d been when I first met her, doing exactly the same job in exactly the same office space. Same hairstyle, same clothes, same routine. The saddest part was that my coworker had not really grown as a person in all that time. She was missing out on life.

Hang on, there is a point to this story.

Take a look at yourself.

Are you so caught up in achieving and maintaining your environment of comfort that you’re missing out on the life God has called you to live? Are you afraid to say yes to His invitation, His urging, because it might cause you to be a little bit uncomfortable?

Believe me, I know how you feel.

But it is in those uncomfortable times that God works in and through us. He stretches our faith when we trust His leading into places, circumstances, and relationships that we wouldn’t ordinarily venture into on our own. We experience uncertainty and hesitation and those stomach butterflies that refuse to fly in formation, yet God is there holding our hands and encouraging us.

We come out the other side having learned, grown, conquered.

I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. Listen to the voice of the Father. Let Him take your hand and guide you.

He’s got a lot to show you!

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers.  Jeremiah 17:7 (MSG)