How do you grow?
It seems like so many are facing change right now. In the wake of a hurricane and one on the way, many have lost their homes, possessions, and some, loved ones. Our home can tend to be our safe space. A place where we can feel at peace and comfortable. In order to grow, one must leave his or her place of comfort.
This past Saturday this red “Mario” mushroom was discovered across the street from our home. It’s scientific name is Amanita muscaria. If we hadn’t left the house on Saturday, we would have missed seeing this amazing naturally grown mushroom. In the same regard, if someone had not dedicated time to learning about these mushrooms, we would not know about the genus Amanita, or that they are poisonous if ingested. Also that there are some psychedelic properties associated with the component Muscimol, a potent and selective orthosteric agonist of the GABA receptors in our brains, found in these mushrooms. All of these findings about this little red mushroom with white dots on the cap would not be recorded if several human beings didn’t take interest and leave their comfort zone to learn and share their findings with us.
If we stayed in our comfort zone all the time, would we be able to face change easily or would we become complacent? Making hard decisions often requires us to leave our comfort zone to make that decision and to grow. There are so many stages in life where we are required to make hard choices. Internally, we probably know that this decision is the best thing for us or a loved one. However, it doesn't make it any easier to jump and make that change.
Life is like riding on a curved road. We are forced to hold on sometimes and trust God around the next corner. If life wasn’t hard from time to time, would we have a need for God in our selfish place of comfort? Would we grow and become a strong, independent adult who could provide and meet the needs of ourselves or others, probably not.
We have actually heard about so many millionaires, who were "self-made," who say that they won’t leave their fortunes to their children. Their reasoning is because they know their children won't be forced to leave their comfortable surroundings. And that they fear they will become lazy and complacent. Life is constantly changing, but if you are not required to change (all your needs were met), what would create a desire in you to leave your comfort zone?
Comfort can also include how we interact with others. If we like to give advice or keep people in line, this can come from a place of comfort. If we don't like to speak up in a group or we tend to fly under the radar, it is not comfortable to be in a position that commands leadership. In both of these scenarios, we are required to leave our comfort zone to grow.
Knowing that someone believes in us and that we have good qualities and a lot to offer in this lifetime helps us to succeed. When I was swimming, I swam fastest under my favorite coach. He made me feel like he believed in me. In turn, I believed in myself. When my kids were swimming, I would also let them know that they had done the work and now they could just go and swim their best race. I helped them to instill belief in themselves. However, each one of them always knew that they were not alone in their race. They accomplished many unbelievable achievements in the pool, and are continuing to leave their comfort zone in life today. John 3:27, "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven." The commonality I share with my kids is belief in God above.
When you have belief in God, and know that He is guiding your footsteps, you can have a different journey through life. It is so important to believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself, there are only obstacles to dodge and then you can keep pushing toward the goal. However, there are times when we need reminders and support to encourage us along the way. Eventually, we must learn to rely on God or ourselves to make hard choices and to change. As we become older, the gift of wisdom can either encourage us to choose love: giving back to others, or self: staying in our place of comfort.
Think about this, those who have made a name for themselves certainly had confidence in themselves. Their belief in themselves allowed them to leave their comfort zones repeatedly. So often these days, we see young athletes being interviewed after a game and professing that they give God the glory for their success. Oftentimes, just telling one person about my relationship with Jesus requires leaving my comfort zone. To this day, when I verbally tell someone about God, who is not a believer, I have butterflies and definitely feel uncomfortable. I am learning to leave this comfort zone by posting this blog on weekdays.
Believing is a powerful gift that is used for good. Believing allows us to succeed and make it through life. Believing also reunites us with our Maker after we leave this earth. It is no wonder that God longs for us to believe in Him. He also requires us to believe in Him to attain eternal life. How much greater it is to believe in Jesus!
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
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