“Great things never came from comfort zones.” ~ Neil Strauss
December 17, 1903 — “Dear Diary, I followed my dream up to a point. I built a flying machine but decided that man was not meant to fly so I broke it up and had a nice bonfire.” – Wilbur Wright
Where would we be if the preceding was really what happened? Where would we be if the Wright brothers did not perform their first flight on December 17, 1903 but, instead, decided not to leave their comfort zone? Their passion for flight was very uncomfortable for them. As a matter of fact, Wilbur Wright wrote at one point in time, “For some years, I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man. My disease has increased in severity and I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life.”
He was willing to place it all on the line, to step way past his comfort zone, in order to make it happen. We owe our ability to fly largely to the Wright brothers.
Where would we be if some of our great religious figures did not step out of their comfort zones and embrace the Lord? Francis walked away from his family’s fortune, Mother Teresa embraced the dying poor, Maximilian Kolbe was willing to give his life so that a family man could be spared. These, and many other great saints, knew that getting past their comfort zones was just the beginning of their spiritual journey.
In many ways, we allow ourselves to be quite comfortable with our environment, with our jobs, with our families and friends, and with our faith. We often take the easy way out in so many ways. The apostles and disciples of the Lord left their comfort zones. They left family and friends and followed Jesus. Most of them paid for it with their lives. For that matter, Jesus left the comfort zone of His heavenly realm in order to suffer and die for us.
Can we not consider leaving our comfort zones behind so that the Lord may lead us to a deeper relationship with Him? He has great things in store for us. It is up to us to respond.
FAITH ACTION: Make an attempt to step away from a spiritual comfort zone today and try to do something new, something different.