I hate getting out of my comfort zone. Most of the time, that comfort zone is new people or places, stepping back from something familiar, and apologies. And over the past few years, I have stepped out of those comfort zones (along with others).

If you remember my post “You Came Back”, I visited my best friend and while I was there, I checked in on an old friend. When doing so, I stepped out of my comfort zone by a) returning after never having said goodbye, b) by apologizing for that and for the loss of his wife, and c) by respecting the promise I had made years before, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do on a joyful trip. But choosing to do that gave me peace.

When I first joined the youth group at my church, I was terrified. But that night I immediately felt welcomed and truly good things have blossomed from that first time out of my comfort zone.

I don’t like leaving people who are my friends—they become my comfort zone, and leaving them means leaving that comfort zone. When I had to leave a relationship because it was toxic, it was hard: it required starting over, apologizing to people I’d hurt with that friend, and leaving her. But that choice has given me more fruitful relationships.

Stepping out of our comfort zones in obedience often opens up new levels for God to bless us in our lives.

We read about people in the Bible who obey the Lord in ways that make them uncomfortable or scared.

Noah—Genesis 6 and 7 (don’t come after me, please). He ignored the ridiculing from his neighbors when he built an ark in the desert when God told him to. The last verse in chapter six says, ‘Noah did everything just as God commanded him.’ (Genesis 6:22 NIV) We later see that God’s word came true—and despite being mocked, Noah followed God’s commands and his family was spared from the flood.

Joseph—Matthew 1. He obeyed God’s command to marry Mary (that’s fun) even though she was pregnant with Jesus. (This would have been an enormous scandal back then.) But he did and lo and behold, he became the earthly father of the Son of God.

Daniel—the book of Daniel. When God told him to pray to Him and Him alone—Daniel’s king had (accidentally) arranged a death sentence to anyone who prayed to God—Daniel did, and was thrown into the lion’s den. But in the morning, he was still alive and said, “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” (Daniel 6:22 NIV)

When you live in your comfort zone, you will miss the goodness of God that’s around the corner, just outside of that zone.

When we come to Christ and dedicate our lives to Him, that in itself is stepping out of our comfort zone and into the love of the Comforter.

That isn’t to say that your comfort zone isn’t bad—rather that, if you life in your comfort zone all your life, then how much of your life has changed? Christ should challenge you in a way that makes you live for Him.

So what is something you can do today that is outside of your comfort zone? Maybe that looks like volunteering or making a new friend, or even something like apologizing and asking for forgiveness. I encourage you to do something that makes you uncomfortable in some way and you might find God is blessing and teaching you.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
~Willow