I can’t think of one comfortable situation that has ever stretched my faith, can you? It’s been my experience that God tends to stir us out of comfortable situations in order to stretch us and cause us to use our faith. But none of us are exactly jumping up-and-down with our hands raised saying, “Pick me, pick me, I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone.” It sounds great in theory, right? Growing and stretching ourselves to new levels. Going further with God than we could ever go on our own. But in practice, it’s messy, filled with uncertainty, and plenty of plot twists and detours. The journey out of our comfort zone can feel a lot like a battle to fight or a storm to endure. In many cases, it involves being broken down in order to be built up. But on the other side of our comfort zone is the opportunity to live life more abundantly using our unique gifts.

I don’t know about you, but I want to live life to the fullest. And I never went to stop discovering God’s plans and purposes for my life. And I know you and I can’t do that staying comfortable. So that means we’re going to have to say “yes” to things we would have never dreamed of. And this will, in some cases, scare us right out of our minds. We’re going to have to let go of our deeply rooted desire to control and, instead, surrender and fully trust God. Instead of asking God a million questions, we must continue to search for and uncover the lessons He has for us. Rather than being consumed by apprehension about what’s next, we must trust in what we cannot see and keep going. God has already laid out the path forward for each of us. What’s the next step that you sense He is calling you to take? Will you allow him to push you forward? He wants you and I to know that there is something remarkable on the other side of our fears. But it will require us to use our faith.