Stretching beyond your Comfort Zone

September 26, 2018

Alabama Baptist SBOM

As a boy growing up in a small cape cod style house, my three brothers and I slept upstairs in our home. Our upstairs consisted of two open-air rooms. My oldest brother slept in the smaller room at the left of the staircase. My next older brother and I shared the larger of the two rooms on the right side of the stairs. My youngest brother slept at the top of the stairs on a small bed. I remember at least one night after the lights were out, my two older brothers (I, of course, would not be involved) would slip out of their beds and crawl across the floor quietly sneaking up to my younger brother’s bed and pop up suddenly and scare him.

To hide from his fears my younger brother would pull the covers up over his head until he would stop shaking and felt it was safe to pull the covers down. Of course, it would only be a few minutes until one of the older ones was there at his bed again.

I remember thinking, “How is that going to save you?” But in my brother’s mind, his bed was his safe haven. Pulling his cover over his head provided his safety zone – his comfort zone. As long as he was in his bed with his cover he felt safe and comfortable.

Pulling your covers over your head may keep you from facing your fears. It will not help you out of your comfort zone. It will never take you where God wants to lead you!

Most professed Christians never truly experience being on-mission with God because they will not pull the covers down from over their head. No growth ever takes place in your comfort zone. God stretches you. He wants you to get out of your comfort zone so He can bless you with all the blessings of heaven (Ephesians 1:3-4).

We have got to not only pull the covers down to see where God is at work, but we also need to get out of that nice, warm, comfortable bed and join God in His work.

After all, what is the purpose of the church? The purpose of the church (God’s people) always has been and always will be to be “On Mission” with God to the unchurched.

Our marching orders are stated in Matthew 28:19-20. “GO” it says. That word means as you are going, As you go through life, you are to do the following… Who are we to go with? JESUS. He said at the end of those verses that He will always be with us even to the end of the earth.

To be On-Mission with God means that we are to be about God’s business. Not the business we think would please God. To do this we must be willing to get out of our comfort zone – out of that nice warm comfortable bed (or pew) and join God in the work He is doing around us. Therein comes the joy and the blessings of heaven.

George Yates is the Church Health Strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, assisting churches and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Learn more at ALSBOM.org/revitalization.