Most of us really enjoy our comfort zone for the obvious reason - it's comfortable! We love comfy clothes and enjoy comfort foods. We want a comfortable pillow and mattress to sleep on. We want to have a couch that both stylish and also comfortable. Bottom line - we spend a ton of money on making ourselves feel comfortable.
We love to frequent familiar places and make plans with familiar people because we've build up a trust factor that is comfortable so we keep people and place in our comfort zone. In the comfort zone you don't need anything. You are comfortable. All of your comfort requirements have been met. The comfort zone feels nice, welcoming, and stable. We get the "warm fuzzies" by staying in our comfort zone and everyone likes that!
Where is God in the comfort zone? We don't need to depend on Him. We don't need to ask anything of Him. Sometimes we even forget about Him while we are in our comfort zone. So from God's perspective, He doesn't want us in our comfort zone for long because He likes to be needed. He wants His children to need Him. He wants His children to choose Him. He delights in spending time with us. And if we don't give Him proper attention in our comfort zone then He'll take us out of our comfort zone and get our attention.
John 10:16
I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.
God's ways are a mystery. But we know that He loves us and we know that He is for us. His desire is to have us close. He wants our full undivided attention. He won't force Himself on us but He'll allow us to get into situations so that we will look to Him and choose Him. And sometimes He will use you in a way that makes the people around you look at Him. Not all things that happen to us are actually about our own lives - it's for the benefit of someone else.
Acts of God, that put us in awe, are always outside the comfort zone. Our culture might call this "being brave" but let's identify the Truth - when we step out of the comfort zone God is there protecting us and will use us in a miraculous way. When David killed Goliath, he was only there because his father asked him to go bring his brothers some food and bring back a report on how they were doing. He did not intend to go and fight. As he left his comfort zone, he thought he was just bringing food to his brothers but he ended up taking down a giant. This was not in his plan but it was in God's plan.
God tries to get us out of our comfort zones more than we realize. Many times we are receptive enough to realize what He's doing so we miss the opportunity to be used by Him. And then we've also missed a lesson and a chance to grow spiritually. How can we go from glory to glory if we miss the opportunities for growth?
Start using different muscles by exercising them out of your comfort zone. You don't have to take a big leap, but you can take a small step every day (or at least once per week) to warm up those new muscles. And before you know it, which will happen faster than you think, you'll be way outside your comfort zone and loving every minute of it. You will see God is so many more ways you'll become addicted to getting out of the comfort zone.
God many things He wants to show you. But you have to take that first step in order to see them.
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