Just a few minutes ago, I was standing in line to buy some food. Sadly, to say the least, the service was taking ages to get to me, it’s that feeling when you are famished and the line doesn’t seem to be moving quite fast enough. What occurred next was even gloomier; abruptly, the line broke and everyone was rushing towards the recently opened counter. On the other hand, with a whiff of vain buoyancy, I just remained standing in my place, staring at the running people and righteously saying to myself “I am sure I am not going to run like a madman”.
Well, it’s now safe to say the self-buoyant feeling was short-lived because, by the time I got to the counter, there was nothing left—no food for a hungry me’. Truthfully, I was angry at myself, not only because I hadn’t run as fast as the others did but because I had grown too comfortable where I was. I then remembered what the prophet Amos said about being comfortable:
Amos 6:1
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion
Being at ease means being comfortable, and the worst thing that can happen to us is being comfortable in the wrong place. When we become comfortable, we lose sight of the great, better, good, and great things we can accomplish!
It was in my moment of despair (or, in this case, of great hunger and lack), that He said to me, Rodney, you don’t always need to be comfortable, there are times when you have to run, and do things you are not comfortable with.
“Many times, in our lives, we lost many things and didn’t accomplish what needed to be done because it was outside of our comfort zone and we didn’t see it as normal to do. In the Bible, we hear that Moses went to the other side of the mountain, and that is where he encountered God and received his calling.
People who have made it in life and accomplished great things, if you ask them, will tell you that it wasn’t easy; they had to work hard and that they had to step out of their comfort zone because they wouldn’t have made it if they stayed in a comfy place.
You hear a student say that they slept for a few hours. It’s not that the student doesn’t enjoy his sleep, but he knew that there was an exam, a project that needed him and that he was eyeing the prize.
It’s good to be comfortable, but one must realize that being comfortable can be a hindrance and thus interfere with the work at hand. It’s not for your whole life when you will be working hard, but it will be just for a season, so one needs to know what each moment and time needs.
So, let’s step out of our comfort zones so that we can do great things.