REFLECTIONS
January 6, 2008
 
 
Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.
Acts 26:16
 
 
Beyond the Comfort Zone
 
The flight is already uncomfortable even though takeoff is still weeks away. The plane ride is not the issue. It is the test of my own wings that has me troubled. I have made plans to venture into an unfamiliar world; and though not a dangerous one, the destination will be a place filled only with strangers to me. It will be a journey that carries me beyond my comfort zone.
It’s funny how comfort zones can box us in. We know that progress only comes from change; yet change crosses the boundaries that protect and comfort us. Our self-confidence is contained within the boundaries of our comfort zone. Beyond them we are unsure and unsettled. But we are not different.
The Lord had said to Abraham, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1) And Abraham followed God’s instruction though he must have been at least a little uneasy about it. Then God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and instructed him, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." (Ex 3:10) Although in protest, Moses followed God’s direction. Paul was called to “stand on his feet” to become a witness to the Gentiles and thus began his journeys to spread the Gospel to the world.
Abraham, Moses and Paul were all resting contentedly within their comfort zones when God called them to their journeys. Surely none of them was at ease with the journeys set before them, yet they chose to step beyond their comfort zones anyway.
The comfort zone is a secure place. Beyond it is a journey into the unknown; but it is through journeys that God calls each of us to live our lives. He said “Go” when He called Abraham, Moses and Paul to their journeys. And through Jesus Christ He also commissioned us to reach beyond the comfort zones and “Go…” on ours. (Matt 28:19)
Now, I wonder what doors lie ahead on my journey. I wonder which ones the journey will open and which ones will close. I fear them both. Some may close and bring ends to lifelong dreams. And others may open to lead further than my imagination can fathom. Our journeys take us beyond our comfort zones to fulfill God plan for our lives.
I think I’ll test my wings.                            
 
“You are the light of the world,”
Richard Ì
 
 


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