OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 that with God, all things are possible.

Ever had one of those days, weeks, months, years, or maybe just a brief experience, when you just knew that Jesus was standing there in the realm of the unknown, holding out his hand, and inviting you to step out of the boat—your comfort zone—and walk with him on water...to do what to the human mind seems impossible, but what to God is possible, and part of his plan for you to live a life of faith, totally reliant on him?

For some time now the idea to write full-time has brewed...as my pension plan—what I’d do when compelled by law to give up my day job. In essence, that dream still lay a decade away.

As my writing opportunities have increased, I’ve experienced more pressure on my time. So I’ve had to prioritize—give up blogs, and carefully choose what involvement I retained. I came to realize more and more that I couldn’t do it all. Not anymore. Not with working a 9-5 job which in itself has developed new challenges and stresses. And it has frustrated me. So much to do, so little time—a proposal that needs to be submitted to an agent (actually 2 and a publisher) I’d pitched to at ACFW Dallas last year; a publisher interested in me writing a certain type of fiction for them; two stories due by 1 May. God is no stranger to my pressures. He’s no stranger to my desires, either—my passion to write for Him.

A month ago my youngest son who’s visiting from Budapest sat me down for a serious talk. What had I done wrong was my initial reaction. Nothing it turned out, except perhaps not listening to God’s voice. I hadn’t told anyone yet of my deep down desire, and need, to write full time. I’ve all these opportunities, all these stories, and not enough time to meet the demands or the dreams. It was on Kyle’s heart to encourage me to think about writing full time. Bear in mind, Kyle’s a missionary, and I’m one of his biggest financial supporters. He encouraged me not to let that fact stand in my way. I said I’d think about it, and so my ten-year plan became a one to two-year plan. As soon as Kyle has sufficient funding through the project he’s working on, Lord...then I’ll consider writing full time.

Every morning, a verse and encouragement is emailed to me, but I don’t always get to read them. The following day, John 4:35 landed in my inbox. “Do not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest.’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

God had caught my attention. Don’t wait. Do it now. I asked him to confirm that this was what I needed to do. Shortly after that prayer, one of our suppliers came to my desk and we started chatting. Out of the blue she asks me if I’d ever write full time.

That very same morning, I received an email from a devotional I’d signed up for called Loop. I had never opened an email from them, yet. Once again, God spoke right into my heart about stepping out and trusting him. Here are a few things He said, but you can read the full article here: https://www.facebook.com/LoopDevotional/posts/1092156167463826

Hold Out Your Hand

It might be time to let go. It might be time to empty your hands. It might be time to stop grasping.

Open up your hands. There are things I want to place in them. For I do want you to hold on to some things.

I want you to hold on to Me. I want you to treasure moments, and I want you to be present with Me. Look ahead, to the future, and ask for wisdom so I may teach you the way to go, whether to spend time here or there.

I want you to live in freedom, breathe deeply, rest in what I give.

I want you to hold on to my hand, in everything you do.

I want you to hold in your heart the image of you I put before you, the daughter clinging to her Father’s hand.

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:7).

Later that day I heard about a colleague who was giving up his supervisory position to follow his passion to teach. I share with him my dream and he emails me back: God never gives you a dream that matches your budget.

All this in one day...my mind’s exploding with the fact that God is speaking to me. And it’s scary. I’d have to give up so much security: a well-paid job, pension plan, company car, friends and colleagues. And the boat, the comfort zone, seems appealing.

Around the same time someone randomly posted this image on Facebook. Of course, God made sure I saw it.

Friday past, something happened at work that made me realize God was no longer prodding to capture my attention—He was giving me a good boot out of the nest, urging me to spread my wings and fly, to trust that he would not let me fall but would take me to higher places.

As I got into my car to drive home, Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns began to play on the CD player. It was such a clear affirmation that I needed to do this—for His glory. I encourage you to read the lyrics.

So on Saturday, I chatted to my family about making the decision to give up my day job where I’ve worked for the past nine years. I spent the day rearranging my writing office and got a vision and zeal for doing this crazy thing called walking on water.

My Bible reading Sunday morning was from Psalms 31 – 32, and God once again reaffirmed his calling with scriptures like “You are my God. My times are in your hands.”; “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all,  on those who take refuge in you.”; “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

Many years ago we did the Experiencing God study by Henry Blackaby. He teaches about the “Seven Realities of Experiencing God”:

1. God is always at work around you.

2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.

3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.

4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.

5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith in action.

6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.

7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

My word for this year was INTIMACY—to get to know God in a more personal and close way. God seeks that, too, with me. Am I scared to climb out of my comfort zone, to grab hold of the hand of Jesus, and walk on water? Oh yes! I’ve experienced point #5 above several times since Friday. But the alternative of remaining in the status quo scares me even more.

MARION UECKERMANN's passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational romances set in novel places. She now lives in South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

DEVOTION: Leaving a Comfort Zone - Shirley Corder

I was terrified. God seemed to want me to travel alone from South Africa to America to attend a conference. I didn't have the money, I had never flown alone and I had never been to America. I would be totally out of my comfort zone. How I identified with the shepherds in the nativity story. (Luke 2:8-20)

     Shepherds in those days were regarded as low-class, uneducated people with no status in public. They couldn't even be called as witnesses in a court of law. Suddenly they're face to face with an angel.

     "You will find a baby," the angel told the terrified men. In other words, "Move out of your comfort zone. Leave your sheep, and go to Bethlehem and find this baby." 

     You have to be impressed. They may have been ignorant to the educated members of society, but these shepherds were curious—and they were obedient. As a result, they were also the first recorded visitors to the stable delivery room. The riffraff of society, visiting a newborn baby. How unsuitable. And how unhygienic to our modern way of thinking.

     But then, think how unhygienic the delivery room was. A manger! The home of animals. So I guess the shepherds fit right in. These men lived out on the fields with their sheep. They didn't do this as a day job, returning home at night for a scrub in the tub and a warm dinner followed by a good night's sleep. No, these scruffy individuals lived, ate and slept out on the fields. At night they curled up on the ground and slept with their animals.

     Think about it. These men, whom educated people looked down on, got to meet Mary and Joseph. They hadn't cleaned up for the event. They didn't have on suits and ties. They weren't dressed for church. They were still shell-shocked from the angelic experience. Yet these men spoke with the earthly parents of the Savior, the King of the Jews. They gazed at the newborn Jesus, lying asleep on a bed of hay. What a privilege. What an honor.

     Richer, more important people would have been horrified at the conditions surrounding this new babe. They would have known how unsuitable the living conditions were. But the shepherds sensed they were right at home. They felt comfortable in the presence of the holy family. They were accepted. Mary and Joseph probably recognized the importance of shepherds. After all, some of the most important people in Scripture were shepherds; Abraham, Moses, King David . . . .

     After visiting with Mary, Joseph and the baby, the shepherds returned to their sheep, excited and bubbling with the experiences of the night that would change them forever. On the way, they told everyone they met about their experiences. They weren't allowed to bear witness in court, but they were the first to give testimony to the birth of a Savior.

    How strange. How remarkable. How marvelous. And it all happened because they agreed to move from their comfort zone. Because of their obedience to the message of God, many people in Bethlehem heard the news of the angelic visitation to earth, and of the arrival of the one who would one day call Himself, The Good Shepherd.

     I wonder if I would have been prepared to leave my sheep and rush off to the nearby town to visit a newborn baby. Would I have told all those I saw about my experience, especially when they didn't want to speak to the likes of me? I even wonder if I would have heard what the angels had to say . . . or if I would have been too busy tending my sheep.  Would I have been too busy doing the work God called me to do, to obey him and step away from my comfort zone?

     I wonder how often we lose out because we remain where we feel secure. If I had chosen to stay safely in South Africa and not venture out in obedience to a seemingly crazy idea from God, I would have missed so many opportunities to see the Lord's hand at work.

     Has God perhaps sent you a message to do something new? Has He suggested you step out of your comfort zone and tackle a new type of writing? A new topic? A new genre? Does He want you to leave the safety of your day to day existence, and step out into a new adventure?

     He expected the shepherds to leave their hillside. He called me to leave South Africa. What is He calling you to do? Be sure, whatever it is will be exciting, challenging, and give you lots to talk and write about.       

     When you return to your familiar territory, you will want to share the news with everyone you meet or write for. That's what the Christian writer's walk is all about. Sharing the good news.

I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.  (John 10:11 CEV)

Prayer: Lord, please visit me in a new way. Point me in a new direction. Fill me with fresh passion, that I may share the good news with those I write for. Help me to be obedient to your call, no matter how far out of my comfort zone you may ask me to go. Amen.

Shirley M. Corder writes from the coast of South Africa. Whatever happens in her life seems to become the subject of a devotion. Visit her writer and personal website,  or Rise and Soar, her site to encourage and inspire those in the cancer valley.