Out Of The Zone

[[[[[Out Of The Zone]]]]]

I don’t know where you are right now, but just take a second and look around. Check out the room or space in which you are sitting. Notice all of the luxuries and specifications that are in place to make you feel comfortable? There are probably Light switches, chairs, tables, air conditioners, heaters, beds, sinks, coffee makers (that one is a must for me!), computers and hundreds of other possible commodities. Most of these luxuries are in place to do nothing except create a comfortable environment. Lets just face it; we love to live in comfort. And honestly there is nothing wrong with that, I mean—being comfortable is…well it’s just comfortable, right?

Sneaks for Cleats

            This past August I began my seventh and (even though I was unaware of this at the time) final on-campus semester of Central Bible College. And going into the new school year I thought this semester would be relatively the same as the other six semesters that I had completed. After all, I would be living in the same dorm as usual, I would have the same group of friends that I normally had, I would hang out at the same places I always had, and I would eat the exact same meals in the school cafeteria that I had been eating for three years strait. I really wasn’t expecting too many drastic changes. I was planning for just another semester in the life. But as you might have guessed, that is not how this semester has turned out. As it happened, I was in for serious change of pace.

            You see, every fall for the past 16 years I found myself in preseason conditioning for the upcoming basketball season. As a kid growing up, basketball was never even a question. No matter what happened around me, no matter how many miniature LEGO men that I lost in the couch cushions, no matter how many times my older brother beat me up, no matter how many times that I wet the bed, no matter how many times that I went to the principle’s office, no matter how many of the girls in my class thought that I had cuties, at the end of the day I always knew that I would have basketball. There were times that I wasn’t even sure if God was going to let me into heaven, but I still knew that I had basketball. The sport of basketball was my first love—it was just always there. Well ,when I arrived at CBC for this semester, that changed. I had made the decision that I was going to forgo my last year of college basketball and just live the life of a student. So, no matter what I had previously thought my senior year was going to look like, it was instantly changed; I knew that until I got used to the basketball-free life, I might end up being just a little uncomfortable at times. And if giving up basketball wasn’t enough, I decided to push this change-thing a little bit more. So I did something even stranger.

            A week after school started, my roommate Justin and I showed up to the CBC Spartan’s soccer practice. Yes, we were going to try out for our college soccer team. And yes, we were both wearing basketball shoes because we didn’t own cleats of any kind. So, for the first two weeks of training, Justin and I ran around the field looking like two clowns without a clue. And, although I’m not proud of it, one practice I tried to score a goal and I literally flipped into the air and landed right on my back like Charlie Brown kicking a football (true story!). We were not impressive soccer players. But, through an odd chain of circumstances, which caused several team members to be ineligible for the season, Justin and I found ourselves in the starting line-up. We had officially traded our basketball-sneaks for some soccer-cleats. And for me, this was way out of my comfort-zone. My zone of comfort had always been behind the three-point line on a basketball-court, not in front of the 18-yard box of a soccer-field. I was flat out uncomfortable.

            During the first few games of the season I felt that I had made a huge mistake, but before I knew it, that was changing. As the season went on I started to not only become a better defender on the soccer-field, but I also started to build some great new friendships with my teammates. On top of that, I started falling in love with a new sport, and (despite the blisters) I even got used to wearing soccer cleats. The team road-trips were also a blast. Some of us were actually able to take a weekend trip to Kansas City to watch a professional soccer match; which, by the way, was incredible (Go Sporting KC!).

            Being a part of the soccer team this year was a great experience and I was able to make some awesome memories. By the end of the season, this fall semester was already shaping up to be one of my best semesters yet. And it all started when I allowed myself to step off of the court and onto the field. When I allowed myself to venture outside of my comfort-zone. 

Greatness for Comfort

            Have you ever heard of a man named Bjarni Herjolfsson? Yea, I didn’t think so. Well, let me introduce you to Bjarni. Back in the 10^th century there was a merchant captain from Norway named Bjarni Herjolfsson. In about the year 985 Bjarni took a ship and crew on a sea-voyage to the country of Greenland. While in rout to Greenland, the ship endured a very violent storm and it caused the ship to run off-course, leaving Bjarni and his crew lost at sea. After the storm finally cleared, and while Bjarni and his crew were trying to get back on course…they saw it—Land! The only problem was, the land that they saw did not look like Greenland. While Greenland was a land full of glaciers and mountains, the land that lay before Bjarni and his crew was full of forests and hills. It soon became obvious that this land was not Greenland. So, Bjarni decided to turn the ship around and head back out to sea. At this decision Bjarni’s crew pleaded with him not to turn around, but instead to go and explore this foreign land. So, Bjarni took the crew’s advice—and threw it overboard. Instead of going just a bit further and getting out of the boat to explore this unknown land, Bjarni decided to stay in the comfort of his boat. Never stepping foot on the unknown land.

            Little did Bjarni know, but that land that lay just ahead of his ship was none other than North America and he was the first European in history to ever lay eyes on her. Yes, that means that he came before both Leif Ericson and Christopher Columbus, but guess what? Bjarni Herjolfsson is not the one credited with discovering North America, simply because he was content to stay in his comfort zone and he never got out of his boat.¹

            Now, I don’t know about you, but if I were Bjarni, that decision would probably be the biggest regret of my life. I mean, yes Bjarni ended up making it to Greenland, but he also traded one of the biggest explorations in the history of the world for the simple comfort of his boat. Imagine how different Bjarni’s life and the lives of his crew members might have been if he had been willing to get out of his comfort-zone; If he had been willing to claim that land. Bjarni Herjolfsson traded greatness for comfort because he was unwilling to get out of his zone—his comfort-zone!

The Call Is Not Comfortable

            Looking back on some of the changes that happened in my life this semester, and as I have been studying the lives of people like Bjarni Herjolfsson, it has really got me thinking, “Man I need to get out of my comfort-zone more often”. And honestly, it’s the truth. When we get outside of our comfort-zone and take some chances, great things can happen, great relationships can form and great opportunities can arise. Living below the level of comfort can lead to living an above average life. And, in my opinion, the most important aspect of our lives that needs to be lived outside of the comfort-zone is our spiritual life.

            Now, maybe you can’t relate to this. Or maybe this challenge has never hit you like it has been hitting me lately. However, I know that for me personally, I have got to live a life outside of my spiritual comfort-zone. If I am truly going to be who God has called me to be, if I am going to go where God wants me to go, and if I am going to accomplish what God has ordained for me to accomplish, I absolutely positively have to live a life of spiritual uncomfortably. And guess what? I would bet that the same goes for you, whether you realize it or not.

            Something that God has been revealing to me, and something that I believe is an obvious theme throughout the Bible is this: Living inside the perfect will of God, means living outside the zone of perfect comfort. You see, God isn’t calling us to be comfy and cozy, God is calling us to be obedient and holy. And, let me just tell you, that is very uncomfortable at times!

            Just look throughout scripture and you will find that when God gives the call, it is not a call to comfort. In Genesis we see God call Abraham and Sarai to pack up and leave their homeland with no clear directions. And later he asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son—Uncomfortable.² In I Samuel we see God tell Samuel to anoint a teenager to be Israel’s next king. And then God tells that teenager to kill a giant with a sling—Uncomfortable.³ In Jonah we see God call a fearful man to go preach to God-haters—Uncomfortable.⁴ In Matthew God tells Joseph to marry a girl who has just been found to be pregnant with the Holy Spirit’s baby—Uncomfortable.⁵ In Acts we see Jesus call Saul to stop hurting Christians. Then he becomes Paul and ends up being hurt countless times for being a Christian himself—Uncomfortable.⁶  And this list could go on and on for pages. See, being in God’s will usually means being uncomfortable. The call is not comfortable. However, we cannot let this fact deter us. No matter how many times we have or haven’t done uncomfortable things for God in the past, we have can still get uncomfortable now.

Three Dudes

            There are many times in scripture that God has called someone to get out of his or her spiritual comfort zone, but there are two examples, describing three dudes, that I want us to look at specifically.

            Dude Number-One: We find the first dude in the tenth chapter of  the book of Mark . His story goes like this:

¹⁷As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

            After a few more words are exchanged between Jesus and this dude, we then get to verse 21.

                  ²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said, “Go, and sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.”

            ²²At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.⁷

            Dudes Number-two and three: We meet the second and third dude in the fourth chapter of the book of Matthew. Their story goes like this:

¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹”Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.⁸

            Now, do you see what I’m getting at? The first dude was obviously very wealthy, and he most likely lived a comfortable life.  But then, the son of God asked him to get out of his comfort-zone by sell his possessions, giving to the poor, and following Him. Yet, the rich dude refused to do it. And, as you might know, we never hear from this dude again. He falls off the biblical-map. While we have no idea what became of him, I will tell you this, there is no way that his life ended up being more meaningful than the life that Jesus had offered him that day. He refused to leave his comfort-zone and in turn, he left the calling of a lifetime sitting on the shelf. Does that sound appealing to you? It sure doesn’t sound appealing to me.

            On the other hand however, we have two other dudes who were asked to make a very similar sacrifice—and they made it.

            Peter and Andrew were obviously running a successful fishing business. They were living lives that rested in their comfort-zone, on the lake, with the fish. Then, this Jesus guy walks up and asks them to throw their current lives and careers away to come follow him. In our day, this would be like someone walking up to your desk at work and saying, “Hey, I know that you are comfortable here selling life-insurance to some fine folks, but why don’t you leave this behind and come follow me? I will make you an eternal-life-insurance salesman. You won’t even have to charge the customers any money”. And then you proceed to get up and just leave your career sitting on that desk which you had been sitting at for years. Sounds really uncomfortable, right?

            You see, unlike the first dude that I mentioned, the other two dudes were willing to get out of their spiritual and physical comfort-zones. Those dudes gave up their personal comfort for the call of God, and they ended up leading extraordinary lives. They ended up being in Jesus’ inner circle. They ended up witnessing the greatest life in the history of the world. Their lives have ended up reaching billions of people for the cause of Christ. Even in generations long after their lives here on earth. These dudes gave up comfort and were given greatness through Christ in return. That sounds like a fair trade to me.

So Get Out

            My challenge to you in all of this is that you would be motivated to step outside of your spiritual comfort-zone and do some new things for God. The Lord has ridiculous opportunities for us, and a crazy-cool plan for each one of our lives, but in order to see some of those opportunities and plans come to pass, it might take us getting out of our comfortable life-style.

            This is an area in which God has been challenging me all semester. And it is something that I have to submit to daily. One of the ways that I got out of my spiritual comfort-zone this past semester was by joining a homeless ministry at Central Bible College. The ministry is called Unity in the Community. All semester long it has been ministering to the homeless families in downtown Springfield. It definitely hasn’t been comfortable but it has been obedient. And obedience is much more fulfilling than comfort.

            Now this may look different for everyone, however I do believe that we are all called to get out of our spiritual comfort-zone and do abnormal things for God. For you this may mean getting involved in a local youth group as a youth leader. Or maybe it means volunteering at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Maybe it means waking up thirty-minutes earlier to get some prayer and devotions in before work. Maybe it means keeping a prayer journal or starting a blog. Maybe this means giving God some extra cash next month. Maybe this means inviting your coworkers and family members to church. Maybe this means calling an old friend or family member and forgiving them. Or maybe this just means getting back in church or attending church consistently. Whatever your spiritual comfort-zone is right now, find the courage to get out of it. Trust me, it is well worth it. Something that I have found to be true in my life is this: When my level of spiritual intimacy with God is very high, my level of comfort usually isn’t.

            I have to constantly remind myself not be like Bjarni Herjolfsson who refused to get out of his boat. Or the rich young dude who refused to sell his possessions. But to instead to be like Peter and Andrew, who left their comfortable lives to pursue the call of God. And to Instead be willing to continuously trade my spiritual sneaks for some spiritual cleats. And that is my challenge to you as well: Just try something new. I dare you! In fact I double-dog dare you! Get out of your spiritual comfort-zone and see how God will use you for his kingdom.

            If we refuse to step out of our comfort-zones, we will not be able to step into God’s calling!

Peace

Love

God Bless

           

Cited Sources
1. Beyer, Rick. "10th Century." The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, & Stupefy. New York: Harper Resources, 2003. N. page. Print.
2. Genesis 12:1-9, 22:2 (NIV)
3. 1 Samuel 16-17 (NIV)
4. Jonah 1:1-2 (NIV)
5. Matthew 1:18-20 (NIV)
6. Acts 9:1-18, 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 (NIV)
7. Mark 10:17-22 (NIV)
8. Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV) 

Photos

1. http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=477300

2. http://austinwestlake.blogspot.com/

3. http://www.thebricktestament.com/