One of the reasons why so many young people never amount to much is because they're insecure stepping out of their comfort zones and doing something new, something for which they might be persecuted or laughed at. Nobody wants to look foolish, especially if their peers think it's uncool or freaky. But if you're afraid of discomfort and trials, you're never going to DO anything! If you're doing something for God, it shouldn't matter whether you get laughed at or scorned because it's what God called you to do, and obedience is nothing to ever be ashamed of. Don't worry about your "cool", safe reputation; jump right in, following God, and you will find more fulfillment than you ever imagined.

You can't avoid firsts; you'll never grow that way! When you did something that you thought, at first, was way beyond you, didn't it feel exciting pushing yourself, making yourself grow, learning something new? What would happen if we all stayed within our comfort zones and never stepped out into the world armed with our full, God-given potential? The economy would be in shambles, dear Reader. The reason why the cultural normality is in the kind of shape it's in now is the result of millions of people afraid to take the first step out of their comfy spots, people afraid to do hard things. How lame is that? Is this what we want for our world? Is this what God intended when he breathed life into Adam's body?

Ah, but there's the rub: "Who wants to risk feeling weak and stupid?" Think of God's chosen people, who were buffed and persecuted and laughed at and made weak all the time. Did they like it? You can bet they didn't; many of the children of Israel rebelled and stop following God. They claimed it was TOO hard. But nothing is impossible with God! If we allow ourselves to be filled with God's strength, we need never to fear again. All nice and good, you say, but we must admit, the reasons for staying in our comfort zones on page 72 make a lot of sense. Too much sense: "We're not as good at something as someone else; we don't have all the resources we think we need; we figure the chances of failing and looking like losers are too high. But do you see the misconceptions hiding in all these reasons? We're really saying God only uses the best and brightest; He only uses us when every last thing is in place; He only brings glory to Himself when we...bring glory to ourselves too. (Ouch.)" (Emphasis added.)

Perhaps this isn't your case; perhaps you're just waiting around for something to magically happen that will enable you to do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. Dear Reader, for example, if I waited for SAT Prep know-how to pop up in my head, I'd fail the SAT! I have to push myself to study for it. Ah, but we don't LIKE pushing ourselves. It's too HARD. So we sit around...and wait.

"Fear is the fence that keeps us stuck in our comfort zones. To be fair, we usually feel fear for a reason; often something is outside that should make us afraid. The problem is when we just sit there. We wait. And we wait. Why? Well, we're waiting to stop feeling afraid before we attempt anything. And--just to be fair--we're often afraid to try something new because of painful past experiences. We tried stepping out before, and it blew up in our faces. We poured everything we had into something we cared about, and our efforts fell short. We don't want to embarrass ourselves again. The truth, though, is that it's going to be a long wait. If we're waiting until the fear and feelings of inadequacy go away, we'll NEVER venture outside our comfort zones. Until we take a step IN SPITE OF OUR FEARS, none of us will ever truly be able to do hard things. If we want to continue to grow and learn for the rest of our lives, we must beat these fears--not by making them go away, but by recognizing that there is something worse than discomfort, worse than the unknown, worse than failure. The worst thing is to never try at all."

All effort, even if we fail, is making us grow and learn. It's a shot at sucess, and even though results aren't what matters, God does care about obedience. He'll allow us to succeed at something when and IF we're ready to. But we must first take up our crosses and follow Him whole-heartedly, looking neither to the right nor the left, ready in all things to praise Him...even if it means getting shunned or persecuted for it. Our main goal in life should not be to look smooth and cool in the sense of cultural standards, but to shine and bloom by God's standards.

Anything...ANYTHING is possible with God.

Questions for Discussion (taken from page 84):

"What could your life look like if your trust in God overcame your fears? How could your life be different if you chose to do hard things by stepping outside your comfort zone?"

Think it over.

May God bless you, and may His light pierce your darkness!

~PIP~

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Jan. 30, 2009 - hallo big sis!!!

Written by dreamwalker

"What could your life look like if your trust in God overcame your fears?
Oh my life would be SOOOO changed!
Trusting God that much would make such a difference. I would be more confident, and more open to others, including my family Oh, to have such a trust and faith...it's mind blowing.

How could your life be different if you chose to do hard things by stepping outside your comfort zone?"
haha, I'd be a different person! But, this is what I, we, are working toward isn't it? My life would be...well different, and if we all did it, it would make a BIG impact on the world.

You are doing a fantastic job big sis!
God bless,
Zelly

Edited by dreamwalker on Jan. 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM

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Jan. 30, 2009 - Hi-ho! haha :P

Written by dreamwalker

Hallo!
=) Thanks! I don't remember what I was writing.
Yes, let's do the PM's! If that is alright with you of course...
I don't believe I have anything tomorrow night. *hugs*
God bless,
little sis Zel

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Jan. 30, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Written by SAMIAM

I know...i do need to get out. lol
and i work at a restaurant owned by some very good friends of ours.

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