Life Outside the Comfort Zone

I like to play it safe.  I like the predictable, the normal
and the routine.  I like to plan things, and usually have plan A, plan B and plan C before committing to  doing anything.  Planning is safe, and keeps me comfortable and gives me a sense of control.
I like the comfort zone, and if it were up to me, I would probably live my whole life there if God had not shaken me from my normal status quo a few years back.  During this period of shaking, I was rattled to the core.  I was challenged to rethink my desires, my priorities, and the way I did almost everything. I was challenged to see God in a totally different way.  I was forced to rely on His strength and power, and for someone who likes to be in control and be self-sufficient,  it was the most challenging thing I have ever gone through (well...in many ways, I am still going through it).

Sometimes we get a little too settled in our comfort zone.  We get complacent.  We get lazy.  We get apathetic, and we even get blinded to the things that we see and do everyday.  When we are shaken, we begin to see things a bit differently.  We begin to notice the things that have been long overlooked...and we see there are things to be done to make the world around us a better place.

God never called us to be comfortable, but he did call us to go out into the world.  He calls us to step out of our comfort zones in faith and to do His work to bring Him glory.  We are called to step out...even if it means that we are stepping out alone.

When we step out of the comfort zone, it stretches our faith.  It makes us acknowledge that we are no longer in control--and it allows God to freely use us to accomplish His work in the lives around us.  When we step out, we see our gifts grow, we see our faith stretched, and we see how faithful God is to equip us for the task at hand--no matter how inadequate we may feel.

Once you experience life outside the comfort zone, you begin to see God work in your life, and  in the lives of  those around you.  When you partner up with Him and see him work and experience His power--you can never be satisfied with the status quo and returning to the comfort zone.  You will desire to look for ways to be used, ways to grow, and you will come to expect a life lived in the abundance and power that only God can give.

Life outside the comfort zone is not necessarily easy, but when you are in the center of God's perfect will, you will be in the safest place that you could possibly be.  Will you commit to do what God is calling you to do, even if it means leaving behind the familiar comfort zone that you have grown so accustomed to?  I hope so, because God has so much in store for you to see, to experience, to feel.  He wants to see you grow in ways you never imagined.   He has a special plan in store for you...and all you have to do is commit to take that first step towards Him.  Are you ready?  He is waiting on you...holding out His hand to help you all along the way!

In His Name

My husband is working on a mission's project with our church today.  The project is called "A home in His Name".  People who can not afford to fix their homes, and are unable to qualify for programs like Habitat for Humanity are led to our church for help--with no strings attached.  So far, our church has demolished two homes and rebuilt them for two families in our community.  People who have skills to work on the home, do--and the church hands over the keys to their brand new home a few weeks later.

Today they are prepping the lot to begin building a home for a third family.  I just think that it is amazing that through these projects, our church is providing something amazing for a family, with no costs and no strings attached.  I think things like this really show what the church is called to do...to make a difference in the lives around them--whether or not the family is a member of the church.

As Christians, we are called to serve outside the church.  We are called to make an impact on everyone around us.  It may not be building a house--because let's be honest, I am not gifted in building.  I have difficulty putting together a bookshelf from Wal-Mart.  There are things that I can do.  I can encourage others.  I can use the skills that I have to serve a family in need. 

Everything that we do as Christians, is done in Jesus' name...whether we like it or not.  After all, the name Christian means "little Christ".  When I think of that, I really wonder if the way I act, am I making Christ little or big in my community?

I really want Jesus to be BIG in my life.  I want to be able to do something great for Him.  I want to do it so that He gets the glory--and He is made big in the lives of others...because I was willing to step out and do something in His name and for His glory.

I really would like to be a part of this building project....and who knows, maybe they will need some painting done in the next few weeks.

Lessons from a Familiar Story

I have always loved the story of Jesus healing the crippled man at the pool (John 5:1-18).  I love how Jesus notices the man in his hopeless situation, and how he takes time out of his busy schedule to talk to and heal this man.  To me, it shows me so much about Jesus' character and the priorities he set during his ministry.  I think it is also a good lesson in what our character and our priorities should be as Christians.

The setting for this story is that Jesus is in Jerusalem during one of the Jewish feasts on the Sabbath.  As he is walking near the temple, he notices a particular man, among many diseased, sick, and crippled man who had gathered around the pool.  They were there, because legend had it that an angel would come down to the pool, and stir up the waters.  The first one into the pool after it was stirred by the angels would be healed.  

This particular man had been there for thirty eight years, waiting for his miracle.  He had no family, and no friends.  He was crippled, abandoned, helpless...and essentially hopeless, yet he still sat by the pool...waiting for his miracle.  What a sad situation for this man to be in.  

Jesus goes up to the man, the first thing he asks is basically,"Do you want to get well?"  

The man replies by recounting his situation to Jesus, that he has no friends or family and that every time the pool is stirred, someone else gets into the pool before he does.  The poor man was helpless.  Seeing his hopelessness, Jesus heals him and tells him to get up and take his mat and walk.

At this point, we should all be happy.  After all, a man who had been crippled for 38 years, a man who could not help himself, was finally free to move about on his own.  He could walk!  

But...the religious people of Jesus' day were not happy.  A law had been broken, because no work was to be done on the Sabbath. The man was questioned about why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath, and healing was evidently in their eyes, work.

The laws regarding the Sabbath would allow you to do certain things, like help and animal who was in danger, so why is this a problem?  After all, we are talking about a human life being forever changed...isn't that what the Sabbath is supposed to be about, resting in God and getting spiritual healing?  Well, the Pharisees did not see it this way, and gave the man and Jesus a hard time.

Another thing I noticed, is that Jesus had compassion.  Jesus was probably on his way to the temple, after all, it was the Sabbath, and a special one at that...it was a feast day.  There was a lot of preparation involved in preparing for those extra special holy days.  In the midst of all that he was involved in, Jesus still had time to notice the man and heal him.

How many times do we hurry through our busy days and not notice someone who is alone, hurting, and hopeless.  Jesus' top priority was doing God's will, and a big portion of that was helping others.  Jesus regularly took notice of specific people with a desperate need when he was busy with other things.  Jesus set his priorities in a way that showed that other people were a priority, and treated them with love and compassion--rather than the interruption that they were.  How many times do I fail to do this?  More than I can count and want to admit.

Christianity is about the relationship that we have with God, and our fellow believers.  It is about those relationships more than the rules. Sometimes we have to jump in and do the work at hand to help others, after all, isn't that what Jesus did?

Distractions

Last winter, my husband and I got a gym membership at our local city run gym.  It is a great place to work out.  When we joined last year, I went daily.  Each afternoon, my husband and I would religiously go after work.  At first, I could only do a couple of miles on the elliptical.  I was doing good to get in a good, solid workout.  I stuck with it, and over the course of a few weeks, I was doing 8 and 9 miles everyday between the bike and elliptical.  I was working out for a good hour to an hour and a half every night.  I lost weight, and I felt better than I ever had.  I was honestly amazed at the confidence that I found in setting and reaching goals--and pushing myself to see just how much I could do.  I actually enjoyed and looked forward to working out with my ipod blasting my favorite high energy tunes.

Somewhere, distractions crept in.  A new job, a different schedule, one night missed here and there...and well, the habit died.  Now, I am in the process of trying to make exercise a daily habit again.  Distractions are the biggest killer of good habits, and we are in a fight to keep up good habits.  I think that could be why Paul compares the Christian life to a race.

Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us.
(Hebrews 12:1)

Cultivating Christian habits are just like running a long term race.  We have people all along the sidelines cheering us on (and if you are like me, you need a loud cheering section just to keep you motivated to keep moving).   We have to throw off everything that could distract us and slow us down.  We have to get rid of the things that trip us up, and hunker down and run the race.

The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon.  We are called to be in the race for the long haul.  We start off with a deliberate pace, and keep putting one foot in front of the other--step by step and stride by stride we run the course that God has laid out before us.

When we set out running, we are going to be hit with distractions.  Satan does not want our focus on God and making Godly habits.  He will throw obstacles in front of us just to get our minds sidetracked.  If you are like me, once you are sidetracked, well it is all downhill from there.  The habit that we worked so hard to make, has become something we seldom do--or if we do it, we do it half heartedly because of the discipline that we lost from not being consistent.  I think that is why it is so important to stay focused--and why we need to stay immersed in Bible reading and applying it to our lives.

When we make that appointment to be with God reading His Word, we can daily seek his will and make sure we are focused on the goals and opportunities that lay before us.  We have to constantly look at where we are and where we are going--all while enjoying the opportunity to spend time with God in a loving relationship.

Christian disciplines are not something that should feel like a chore, or something that you daily check off of your to do list.  It is a relationship, and like every relationship, you have to discipline yourself to do the things necessary to deepen the relationship.  Although it is work, you enjoy the time you invest in the relationship.  That is the same way I see spending time in prayer and Bible Study.  As long as you keep the focus on building the relationship and learning and applying Biblical truths to your life, you will look forward to the time you can spend doing them--even though it takes discipline.

Surviving the Storms

 

Last night brought about a series of thunderstorms that produced tornado warnings, strong winds, heavy rains, and some localized flooding.  At about 10:15 the tornado sirens sounded, followed by a 3 1/2 hour power outage at 10:30.  My husband got an oil lamp from the mantle and used it to light our dark, quiet home.

At that moment, I was thankful for the data plan on my husband's phone, and phonecalls from my mom to let me know what the local weather stations were saying about the weather.  We were in the dark in more ways than just our power situation...we were also in the dark as far as information.

Somewhere around what I think was 11:00, we finally began to settle down and go to sleep.  Used to the sounds of the hum of the central heating unit, and fridge...it was uncommonly quiet.  The neighborhood was pitch black for blocks--except for when the occasional lightning bolt would light up the dark house.

If you could not tell, I do not like storms.  I do not like them because I have to deal with the dark blackness of a power outage, I have to deal with rain and lightning, and the noise created by the ominous thunder.  As a child, it would send terror into my world.

I also feel the same about those spiritual storms that come into my life.  As one who thrives on order, peace, and the well orchastrated plan, storms just seem to rock my little world.  I do not like my darkness exposed.  I do not want to acknowledge its existance, much less deal with it on a personal level.  I do not want to be flooded by fears, emotions, and doubts that I need to face.  I do not want to be uncomfortable, and that is probably the one thing that I hate worst about storms.

However, life is not about comfort for the Christian.  It is about allowing God to work in those dark spots--exposing all of those portions of life that need to be whittled away.  It is about allowing God to flood into your life and expose those emotions, fears, and worries that need to be dealt with by exercising our faith and turning them over to God. Storms shower us with a hard rain to cleanse us  all of those things that need to be washed down the proverbial drain.

Storms can be scary, stressful times for us--but they also bring about new growth and regeneration into the world around us.  Just like storms in nature, spiritual storms can bring about spiritual growth and increased faith into our lives.  What we dread and see as "uncomfortable", actually becomes benificial and necessary in the life of a Christian.

The next time life throws a storm your way, just realize that nothing can enter the life of a Christian without passing through the hands of the Almighty God.  He will not put you through anything that He will not walk you through.  So the next time you hear the thunder begin to roll in the distance, just light a couple of lamps and settle in with the God who will carry you through the storm.

What If?

 

What would happen if we actually accepted others the way Christ accepts us?  What would happen if for just a moment, we could realize just a glimmer of the love that God has for each and every one of us, regardless of what we have done in the past?  What if we chose to share that love to each and every person that we come in contact with--whether friend or foe, family, friend, or perfect stranger? 

If we could make the conscious decision to  share that love, it would vastly impact our families, friends, and our world.  As Christians, we have what each and every soul is looking for...love, acceptance and hope.  We have received those through God, who equips and commands us to share them with the rest of the world.

He does not tell us to share our judgemental attitudes.  He does not tell us to hide ourselves away and accept only those like ourselves, but to reach out and love each other--regardless of who they are or what they have done in the past.  The Bible actually even says that the world will know us by our love.  That is how God tells us to define Christianity to the rest of the world.

If we could just be loving to those God places in our path each day,  I just bet the world would stop viewing us as a bunch of legalistic hypocrites and would actually be interested in the message that we are supposed to be sharing...God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you.  He wants to walk with you through the good and the bad that life offers, and help you to find and fulfill the special purpose for which you were placed on this earth.

True Christianity is not about rules, but is a relationship--with God and your fellow man. May God truly bless you and show you his perfect love and peace so that you can share them with everyone you meet.What would happen if we actually accepted others the way Christ accepts us?  What would happen if for just a moment, we could realize just a glimmer of the love that God has for each and every one of us, regardless of what we have done in the past?  What if we chose to share that love to each and every person that we come in contact with--whether friend or foe, family, friend, or perfect stranger? 

If we could make the conscious decision to  share that love, it would vastly impact our families, friends, and our world.  As Christians, we have what each and every soul is looking for...love, acceptance and hope.  We have received those through God, who equips and commands us to share them with the rest of the world.

He does not tell us to share our judgemental attitudes.  He does not tell us to hide ourselves away and accept only those like ourselves, but to reach out and love each other--regardless of who they are or what they have done in the past.  The Bible actually even says that the world will know us by our love.  That is how God tells us to define Christianity to the rest of the world.

If we could just be loving to those God places in our path each day,  I just bet the world would stop viewing us as a bunch of legalistic hypocrites and would actually be interested in the message that we are supposed to be sharing...God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you.  He wants to walk with you through the good and the bad that life offers, and help you to find and fulfill the special purpose for which you were placed on this earth.
True Christianity is not about rules, but is a relationship--with God and your fellow man. May God truly bless you and show you his perfect love and peace so that you can share them with everyone you meet.

Taking the High Road

I have been taught since childhood to take the high road.  You never know who is watching, so always act with integrity and go beyond others expectations so that you are known as a person who takes pride in themselves, their work, and their relationships. 

As I have gotten older, I am learning that this is easier said than done.  Expectations are high.  You get tired.  Sometimes, you just get tired of dealing with the same struggles day in and day out.  Sometimes we just want a shortcut or an easy way out, because life can just get too hard at times. 

Taking the high road is difficult. It is a tough road to follow, especially when life begins to nip at your heels and you begin to struggle with all of the stress that seems to land on your plate.  I know…I have been there, done that, and have all too many t-shirts that advertise my struggle to stay on the high road.

With all of the difficulties, sometimes I wonder if it is really worth it.  After all, who would really know if I took the easy way out?   Who would know if I compromised my beliefs on this one thing?  Well, for me the answer was at least the two most important would know…me and God.

Being raised in a Christian home smack in the middle of the Bible belt, I am all too familiar with my conscience and the havoc it will bring on a poor compromising soul trying to sleep.  I know…again, because I have been there and done that-- in my younger, dumber days.

I truly believe that one of the few things that we have outright in this life is our character.  It takes a lifetime to build a good one, and just one poor decision to destroy one.  For me, it is one of the things that I treasure, because it is the basis of who I am and what I stand for.  A wise pastor of mine always recited the quote that “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” 

So often it is those moments when no one is looking, where we make the decisions that make or break our character.  One compromise can lead to another…and before we know it, we are off track taking a long walk down a road we never meant to take in the first place.  That road is usually riddled with more potholes and obstacles than the high road ever had.  The price of compromise and altering course is normally much higher than if we would have just hunkered down and did what we knew was right to begin with…even if it was difficult to do.  Compromise can destroy your character, your reputation, your relationships, and even yourself as a Christian.

You have to deliberately choose to take it with every choice and every step you make in life and that is what makes taking the high road so difficult.  It is the consistency that makes us who we are…and it is consistency that will keep us on the “high road”.