Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone

We all dread it, maybe some more than others, but know it's a necessary part of life: the nerve-racking experience of getting out of your comfort zone that is! If you are like me, it's usually awkward and filled with nervous moments. There's that little bit of fear in the pit of your stomach knowing that you aren't quite sure what's coming next, but you really wish you had a clue. As my 26th birthday rapidly approaches (less than 2 days!), I can say that getting out of your comfort zone is such an important part of life and allows us to be challenged. It's really one of the only ways we can experience growth. I have always been very hesitant at trying new things, afraid of what could possibly happen. I think about being judged, failing, what others will think, and how I won't know exactly what to do as I embark on the unknown path. These things usually hold me back from experiencing more. As I close out this year of my life and begin a new one, getting out of my comfort zone is at the top of my list for my 26th year on this earth. Since this year will also include having a baby, I'm sure this will be an easy goal to accomplish ;) I want to not be afraid to try everything and anything. Life is so short, ya'll. Like ridiculously short. It's already flying by for me. I don't want to get to the end of my life and realize I was too fearful of getting out of my comfort zone that I missed out on the most exciting things in life, which usually start out by taking a shaky step into the unknown.

Recently, my Sunday school class started a study on prayer. You might be wondering how this all ties in? Well, I have always been a little fearful of prayer. Prayer requires intimacy with God. It requires discipline. Prayer requires getting out of your comfort zone. I've never been the best with prayer. I've always wanted to be better, but then other things catch my attention and I soon forgot my goal. I can't sit still long enough to focus on God and always feel a little awkward when I do. I thought, there's no way I could ever develop a prayer life like these other awesome Christians that I know. They pray for hours on end, I couldn't possibly do that! I was intimidated and almost too afraid to even try.

All these doubts filled my head: What would I talk about for that long? I'll probably sound awkward. My prayers won't sound eloquent enough. I won't sound smart enough or "Christian" enough. What if I don't feel how I'm supposed to feel while being in God's presence? What if I just sound selfish? God doesn't care about my petty problems. I'll feel guilty for not coming to Him enough. Wow, I'm a horrible person for not praying more especially because there are so many people in my life that need prayer.

Needless to say, I knew when we started this book on prayer that I would be pushed out of my comfort zone. I knew I would need to practice praying more and knew it was something I seriously slacked on. I usually avoided it because I didn't want to deal with the unknown. We are a few weeks into the study and I am slowly breaking down these prayer barriers I have built. I've been trying to push myself during those moments I know God is calling me to pray. I've been carving out time to be with Him. I've been making lists of people in my life who need prayer and been actively trying to pray for them. I've even sat in silence and prayed. And you know what? It wasn't that bad, in fact, it's been really great! Yeah, it usually starts off a little rocky, but by the end I'm more comfortable than ever.

Today, I went on a walk during my lunch break. I've been trying to get out and go walking more lately while the weather is so beautiful. I typically listen to worship music on my walks and find myself spending time with God in that way. While that is great, I could feel God tugging at my heart to turn off the music and just talk to Him. I usually don't listen to that tugging and continue on with my music, convincing myself that worship music is plenty pleasing to God. While it definitely is, I know God wanted more from me and He also wanted me to experience more. So today, I decided to turn off my music and step outside of my comfort zone which included walking in silence while praying to God. Yes, I've done this before, but I wanted to really push myself and make it more than just a few minutes of prayer. I started praying and soon couldn't stop. When I finished my walk, I realized I had prayed without ceasing for a whole 20 minutes...quite an accomplishment for me. :)

Getting out of my comfort zone paid off today because I got to experience a special time with God that I wouldn't have if I had just stuck with what was easy and known to me. This is one specific example in my life, but trust me, there are so many more areas where I need to step out of my comfort zone. It's scary, yet so rewarding. Life is short and fleeting, so why not take risks and push ourselves even when it's uncomfortable? What do we have to lose? There are so many times playing it safe is the best option, but not always. The older I get I realize that the best things in life usually start off a little scary and take risk. You may feel silly or awkward giving them a try. You may have no idea what people will think or what will come out of taking that chance. But the experience that comes with trying and succeeding at something new because you found the courage to get out of your comfort zone is so much sweeter than playing it safe ever could be.