The 'comfort zone'-isn't this where we all desire to live? Aren't we all looking for that place where we feel the most comfortable? I'm not talking about a particular location, but a place in our minds and our hearts where we feel safe and not conflicted with the world around us. As I sit here and think about where that is for me, I ask myself, "where was that place for Jesus?" I'm sure that there were plenty of comfortable moments with his disciples, where they fellowshipped and laughed with one another; but there were uncomfortable moments as well. Jesus told his disciples that they would be persecuted, mocked, and even put to death for spreading his word. I personally can't think of anything more uncomfortable than hearing that from the person you feel the safest with. Jesus faced the ultimate uncomfortable situation by being mocked, beaten, and put to death on the cross. The disciples would not have carried on from within a comfort zone.
As for me, my most uncomfortable situation occurred December 24, 1985. That was the day my mother passed away after a 16-year fight with cancer. My mother was everything to me; she and my dad had divorced when I was eight, and for as long as I can remember it had my mom and me. She was such an amazing woman; she never complained and always had a smile on her face and an encouraging word. Now don't get me wrong, she knew that she was raising a boy and she was harder one me than anyone. She was my best friend and I could tell her anything. I was 20 when she died, right in the early stages of adulthood. The most uncomfortable thing as I recall was the realizing that I was on my own. I wasn't just on my own away at college-I was on my own in life. The first six months were the hardest, feeling my way and questioning why this had happened to me, but God was there through it all. He comforted me and as I prayed; he gave me strength to realize and understand that he would never forsake me. Through grace, mercy, and love, God helped me to become comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation.
We Christians are to love our neighbor, protect those that are less fortunate than us, and spread God's Word. Jesus gave us his promise that he would love us and protect us, giving us the strength to step out of our "comfort zone" and do God's work, and when necessary, to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Mike Collier
