Good Bye Comfort Zone

I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I wouldn't fail. The same four walls and busywork were really more like jail... I couldn't let my life go by just watching others win. I held my breath; I stepped outside and let the change begin. I took a step and with new strength I'd never felt before, I kissed my comfort zone goodbye and closed and locked the door.

-Excerpts from the poem My Comfort Zone

Many of you may find it hard to believe that I have a comfort zone. I mean, look at my life. Sense I was in High School I have spent the majority of my time either moving, traveling over seas, starting over, or preparing to do one of the above. I've lived in 8 different cities in 5 different countries, had 18 different jobs, and 12 different roommates. Most of my friends would call me confident and flexible. But I didn't start out this way.

A good family friend, Dean Dotson, has said on more then one occasion that when I was young I was a mess, "couldn't string two words together". So what changed? Or did anything change? I like to say that that shy, awkward girl still lives inside me, I just keep her caffeinated. But the truth is something did change...me. As I allowed God to work in my life He made me new, different. He molded me and continues to mold me into the person He wants me to be.

You see it's not so hard to step out of your comfort zone when you are walking with someone you love, someone you trust. Just like Peter...you have to step out of the boat and walk on the water to truly experience what God wants for your life. The scary part is that as you step out of you comfort zone it changes. Leaving America was out of the comfort zone 14 years ago, now living in America is. Moving to Syria was way out of my comfort zone and now living anywhere else is. Soon living in Bahrain will be comfortable.

So what do we do? For me it means constantly looking for ways to stretch myself. Never being content to just survive, but wanting to thrive. It's going to new places, speaking with new people, trying new things. Most importantly it's letting God take control and trusting that He knows best, even when I'm scared and uncomfortable.

Good by comfort zone, hello Sea of Galilee.