Getting Out of the Comfort Zone

This is my newsletter article for the September Bethlehem Star

Not my actual view or chair

I have two chairs in my home that are my chairs – they are the chairs that I’m most likely to sit in and I love being able to curl up in a blanket and read in them or work on my computer or watch tv.  And while I would never tell anyone (other than Bob) to get out of my chair, when I sit other places in the same room things just aren’t the same. Those chairs are my comfort zone.  

I’m sure I’m not alone.  Most of us have a comfort zone.  We love to go to restaurants where we know what everything on the menu is.  We enjoy listening to music or watching tv shows or movies that seem familiar.  We tend to read the same one or two genres of books.  We like doing activities that we know we are good at because we have done them before.  We enjoy our comfort zone.

Often it is good to get out of our comfort zones.  In fact it is often needed.  It is good to try new and different foods, often that is our first introduction to a culture.  We can’t guarantee that by listening to music, watching a movie or reading a book that is different than what we normally prefer that we will like it, but we are broadening our understanding of the world and sometimes we do walk away with a new favorite.  When we try a new activity, whether it is a sport, hobby, craft or event, we find new connections to talk to other people and sometimes new passions for ourselves. 

God calls us to come out of our comfort zones, to do things we would not ordinarily do in order to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, support the orphaned and widow.  God calls us to get out of our comfortable chairs and ask our friends and neighbors about what their needs are. 

It is scary to get out of our comfort zones, to do something new.  And sometimes we will protest the entire time and refuse.  But God is asking us to state our fear and do it anyway.  And instead of living with the fear, we can live with the grace of knowing that God is with us, the grace that comes from doing God’s work in this world.

So what do you say, will you set out of your comfort zone with me?