“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
~ Jim Rohn
We are all creatures of habit and we like to stay that way. There is something about predictability and “comfort zones” that appeal to us. We do not like to venture far from our comfort zones for that matter. We often will do anything possible not to venture far from comfort zones.
However, our spiritual life calls us, on a fairly regular basis, to step out from those zones, to push limits, to dig deeper, and, in the process, to know God better. It can be a frightening proposition to do so. I often liken it to Ebenezer Scrooge meeting the Ghost of Christmas Present. The ghost beckons him to “come and know me better man” while laughing and glowing. This encounter frightened Scrooge; but, he knew that he must meet the ghost on its own terms.
While God is not a ghost, He has the same message: “come and know me better”. In order to do so, we meet Him on His terms and not our own. His terms are to step out in faith, taking a leap in faith at times, and enter new territory in our relationship with Him. That takes a lot of faith, a lot of love, and a lot of courage.
We will not come to know our Lord better if we do not step away from ourselves and the safe limits we have imposed upon ourselves. We must reach out, go farther, and go deeper in order to come to know God more. That knowledge might be painful since knowing Him more will reveal to us the weakness and sin that we still harbor. We will need to root that out of our lives if we are to come to know Him even more.
We will never be done with our spiritual lives. At least, not until God calls us from this life to the next. Hopefully, by that time, we will have cast aside most of the things that have kept us from Him. and grown close enough to accept His invitation to live with Him for all eternity.
FAITH ACTION: It might feel uncomfortable; however, if the occasion arises today, don’t settle for your ordinary spiritual life. Take a leap of faith.