The Comfort Zone

As a direct consequence of our human nature, I think we can all agree that every person is born with a propensity for staying in what we all refer to as their comfort zone as often as possible. I've certainly been guilty of that on many occasions. Sometimes, it's a good thing that can be proven to keep us safe, but for the Christian, the comfort zone can actually be one of the most threatening places we'll ever find ourselves.

I'm sure you're already asking, "Threatening? How can a place of comfort be threatening?" On the surface, that sounds like a good question, but it's actually quite simple to answer. For the Christian, staying in your comfort zone can not only often mean missing out on the chance to heed the call of evangelism, but could cause even greater issues by causing us to miss opportunities to serve God in other ways.

A prime example of this was found in a video I came across on social media the other day, in which a FedEx driver made a delivery to the home of an elderly couple, one of whom had cancer and was seemingly on his death bed. After a short conversation with the man's wife, the driver went about her day, but after about 20 more stops, she claimed to have felt compelled to go back. Many people would have ignored that feeling and moved on, but she didn't.

She went back, knocked on the door and asked if she could pray for the elderly woman and her husband. Based on the reaction, it's clear to me that was exactly what that elderly woman needed that day, but it's also equally clear that in order to accomplish what needed to happen, that driver had to resist the urge to stay in her comfort zone. The retelling of the story directly from the driver can be found here.

I can think of more than a few such examples from my own life, not only that ended up being helpful to others, but ultimately turned out to be what it took for me to help myself. I won't lie and say I've always followed those urges, but when I did, I was never disappointed.

But don't just take it from me. Not only is stepping out of one's comfort zone often a valuable skill to master, but it's an action that's encouraged and even outright commanded throughout the Bible. Probably one of the most famous examples of that comes from Matthew 16:24, in which Jesus says in the New American Standard Bible, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like much fun to me. I don't know anyone who sets out at the beginning of their day wanting to deny pleasures and comforts, which is exactly what denying the self means. They're called pleasures and comforts for a reason, but at the same time, there's really no better outcome than the one promised to those who follow Jesus.

I still struggle with the conflict between my desire to rest in my comfort zone and my desire to do what I know I've been called to do, but that's a big part of the reason for the existence of my writings and the ministry I've attempted to build through them and this website. I've never really been one to enjoy being the center of attention, but at the same time, I can't do what I know I've been called to do from behind the scenes.

What about you? Are you living within the confines of your comfort zone? How will you respond when the time comes and you're called to step out of it?

I'm not even going to try to say it will always be easy when those times come. There will almost inevitably be that little voice in the back of your head that says, "You can't do this. There's no point. You're not good enough," or any number of other negative things designed to dissuade you from your efforts, but I can say, without a doubt, that voice is wrong. When you come to the conclusion that there's a calling that's been placed on your life, it's because you do have what it takes to accomplish it, either in yourself or in the help we're all promised from God.

The voice of negativity and defeatism may seem deafening, but if you just listen hard enough, you'll realize it's just a voice of lies and the voice of God's truth will come through. That voice may not be the loudest one you hear, but it will always be there to tell you it is possible and there is a difference to be made.