Leaving Your Comfort Zone

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

Sitting at the large table in my favorite coffee shop, I mostly listened as conversation ebbed and flowed among the women who had joined me to discuss the turmoil my community has faced this past year with respect to refugees, religious differences, and race.

Different countries of origin. Different religions. Different cultures. I quietly tallied up more differences than similarities among most of us. As conversation veered into topics touching on race and religion, with perspectives and experiences vastly different from my own, I found myself slightly uncomfortable, definitely out of my element, and exactly where I wanted to be.

The longer I’ve walked with Jesus, the more I recognize that God works best when I’m in over my head and beyond my skills, when I’m fully reliant on him. I’ve learned that God does the most amazing things only after I’ve stepped beyond my comfort zone and into a space that makes me feel stretched, twitchy, and more than a little uneasy.

Life is far too short to be lived lulled into a sense of false security. Regardless of what others might tell you, we rarely change the world from the safety of our recliners via Facebook or Instagram. God asks us to step out, step up, and get our hands dirty. World changing usually includes careful listening, sometimes involves broken hearts, and almost always requires a pouring out of ourselves into the lives around us.

How can Christ’s transforming love shine through us if we are afraid of building genuine, authentic relationships with those who are different from us? In order to fully live out Scripture and be messengers of the Good News, we have to actively be involved in spaces and places where others do not yet believe. Instead of always hanging out with our brothers and sisters of faith, we must be willing to be sent as representatives of Christ.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Reach out to someone in your life who has a different culture, religion, or worldview, and ask them to meet you for coffee or a meal. If no one springs to mind, prayerfully consider how you can open your life to better engage others who are different from you.