Out of the Comfort Zone Into the Joy

I’m home and all went well. These new little ones are so precious and such a miracle. Holding little Hugh brought back so many memories of my own babies. In short, I had a wonderful time.

Traveling gives me time to think and even though it was a short flight, I had time to wonder about failure. When we live in Truth we don’t worry about failure. We just do what needs to be done. But there is something about the worry of failing. Many people say they are afraid of failing. They won’t do a lot of things because of that fear. But it isn’t the fear of failing that stops most of us. It is the fear of being observed failing.

Think about that. If you were alone and no one could see you, would you still be afraid to attempt something for fear of failing? In some rare instances where the thing is dangerous the answer would be, “Yes.” But for most things it really isn’t the thing itself that scares us, it’s the fact that other people would see us failing. In other words, we are worried about ourselves and our self-image.

But when we live in Truth, we recognize that in this mortal life failure is going to happen and that life is much richer and more enjoyable when we drop the unnecessary pain of worrying about failing, spread our wings and try as many things as we can. So what if we fail? We are better for having tried, and life is a lot more enjoyable that way.

So jettison your fear and do something that's out of your comfort zone. Enjoy!

Taking a Leap of Faith

Stepping out of our comfort zones to do something new and different is often difficult. Giving a talk in church, teaching a Sunday School lesson, asking someone for forgiveness, or trying to comfort someone who has experienced tragedy can be daunting experiences. The feelings must be similar to the feelings of skydiving for the first time. The moment before the jump is filled with anxiety and fear and doubt. But once the diver has taken that first leap and is soaring through the air the anxiety is replaced with exhilaration and excitement.

Stepping out of our comfort zones is a lot the same way. The fear and anxiety exist, but once we have made the choice to step forward and do what we need to do the Spirit is there to help us and the exhilaration and excitement come. When we let go of the fear and trust God to lead us we can do whatever is required of us and have a good time doing it.

As the writer of Proverbs says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (3:5). Fear is part of the Natural Man and never comes from God. When we let go of fear and trust in Him, His love and peace and joy replace the fear and are enabled to do “all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]” (Philip. 4:13).