“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future.
You must break out of your current comfort zone and
become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”
Denis Waitley
Comfort zones. The very phrase connotes many emotions. Many visuals.
Wikipedia says it this way:
“A comfort zone denotes that limited set of behaviors that a person will engage without becoming anxious. Alternatively denoted as a ‘plateau’ it describes that set of behaviors that have become comfortable, without creating a sense of risk. A person’s personality can be described by his or her comfort zones. Highly successful persons may routinely step outside their comfort zones, to accomplish what they wish. A comfort zone is a type of mental conditioning that causes a person to create and operate mental boundaries that are not real. Such boundaries create an unfounded sense of security. Like inertia, a person who has established a comfort zone in a particular axis of his or her life, will tend to stay within that zone without stepping outside of it. To step outside a person’s comfort zone, he must experiment with new and different behaviors, and then experience the new and different responses that then occur within his environment.”
Tomorrow I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m flying south to Tampa, FL. to tape my first television interview with CTN’s It’s Time for Herman and Sharon. Hopefully, my first book, Rock-Solid Families, will find its way into the hands of many families. All week long, I have found myself a bit anxious about this trip. I’ve been a mom for so many years. Day in and day out. Caring for my household and family. . . and loving it! Now, my children are older, able to take care of themselves, and ready to leave home. . . well, at least two are leaving in August, ready to go to college. My oldest, graduating in May from UVA (as you know), isn’t sure what God has in store for her.
I’ve dreamed about this for so many years. But, somehow, on the threshold of it becoming a reality, it is bittersweet. I know I will never do anything more fulfilling or more challenging than being a mom, but life goes on. We raise our children to leave us, right? To be strong, spiritually stable, and successful in life.
As I step onto that plane tomorrow, I will step way out of my comfort zone, all the while knowing that God is directing each new step. Each new experience. Each new opportunity. Psalm 37:22-24 (MSG) brings comfort to those of us being prodded from our comfort zones:
“Wicked borrows and never returns;
Righteous gives and gives.
Generous gets it all in the end;
Stingy is cut off at the pass.
Stalwart walks in step with God;
his path blazed by God, he’s happy.
If he stumbles, he’s not down for long;
God has a grip on his hand.”
I love the personification that the MESSAGE Bible weaves through this psalm. Wicked. Righteous. Generous. Stingy. And especially, Stalwart. A stalwart is “a faithful, dependable, and hard-working supporter of something or somebody.” The psalmist tells us that “Stalwart walks in step with God, his path blazed by God, he’s happy.” Don’t you feel better after reading that? I can move forward knowing that God has a grip on my hand. I am no longer the mom holding the hands of my little children. I have once again become the little child holding her Daddy’s hand. God’s hand. Wow! Suddenly, I feel a renewed sense of security. Have you ever felt like God was stirring your comfort zone? Perhaps pushing you out into a new, uncomfortable zone? If so, would you share your story? I’d love to hear it! Until then, I covet your prayers as I fly south! Birds seem to enjoy the trip! I think I will, too!
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