Recently my pastor said something that I have found to be true. He said, “Passion for Christ will always take you out of your comfort zone.” If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for any amount of time, you probably recognize this and consider it a no-brainer. But recognizing something to be true and accepting it are two very different things.
Let’s face it: most of us will do about anything to maintain our comfort. In fact we aggressively pursue it through the purchase of entertainment, clothing, food, and other vices. None of these crutches have anything to do with being a follower of Jesus; but we ignore that point so we can get on with our lives.
Following Jesus will radically alter your life. If it doesn’t, then you are more than likely not following Him. This isn’t a game or the latest trend you can ride. To follow Jesus, we have to surrender everything to Him, including our precious comfort. Nothing can be held back. Jesus gave absolutely everything for us, and we must respond in kind. When we forsake everything, life becomes a giant new adventure. This will inevitably lead you out of your comfort zone.
The good news is that your new comfort zone is found by placing all of your trust in Jesus. As long as He is running the show, we have nothing to fear. Problems ensue when we take our eyes off Him and try to do things on our own or for our own purpose. There is no more comfortable place to be than in the arms of Jesus, but we spend a lifetime trying to jump out of them. Only when we are on the ground again do we recognize how foolish we were to ever leave the embrace of our Creator and Savior.
If you are too afraid to move beyond where you are, then you are not seeing the bigger and better things God has for you. Life the way it was intended can never be experienced standing still. Don’t you want to be part of the mission of God? Don’t you understand that it was for this you were created? Your comfort zone is nothing more than an illusion, a trick of the Devil.
If you want to follow Jesus, you will have to move out of your comfort zone. The mission demands it. We weren’t placed on earth to see how comfortable and secure we could make ourselves. We were created to worship God, to love Him, and to grow in our relationship with Him. Often this will find us doing things with which we might not be comfortable. It’s okay. Jesus has our back. He is there with us at every moment. We need not fear the battle ahead because it’s already been won by the Master of the Universe. If you’ll dare to move out of what you thought was your comfort zone, you will find that true comfort, peace, joy, and rest are just on the other side.