I was driving with my friend the other day and we got into a discussion about something I feel as though a lot of us might not realize is a detriment to progression.
It’s not our flaws or our sin, it’s something that, by the sound of it, would be a good thing, welcoming even…
I’m talking about the detriment of being comfortable.
Comfort feels soothing, and can lead us into a false sense of security. It can become a suffocating blanket that ends up shielding us from challenges, change, and most importantly, growth.
As human beings, we don’t really like change. It’s in our nature and has slipped into the blueprint of our DNA over time. When we’re up against change, something in our brain resists and that’s when that voice, the one that’s there to keep you from taking too many risks, starts to dig in.
You know how it goes…
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“You’re going to look so stupid if you do this.”
“What will people think?”
It’s part of the process. In fact, when you start to hear that negative voice in your head, that’s when you know you’re doing something. You’re working toward it, you’re doing the thing, the hard part is learning how to block out that voice. Not entirely, because it is there to keep us safe, but enough so that you can hear God’s whispers over it so that you can walk in faith that you are on your way.
There’s another thing out there that isn’t brought up a lot. When you start on this journey of change and purpose, that voice in your head may not be the only one giving you pushback. You may find that the people around you are saying the same thing that negativity of yours tries to push on you.
And their voices might sound a little different. They might sound like this:
“You have such a good-paying job, why would you want to give that up?”
“This doesn’t seem like something you’d like.”
“Are you sure this is the purpose that you’re being told?”
I’m here to tell you this; it’s not you, it’s them.
Truly.
And these things may not even be from people who don’t want to see you succeed, in fact, I hope it isn’t. It’s going to most likely come from those who love you, who don’t want to see you hurt or let down, but you have to leave it at that. That they love you and they care for you. And most importantly, that you still gotta do you!
It goes back to disrupting the status quo, what’s comfortable for people, but you wouldn’t be on this path (no matter if you’re at the beginning or somewhere in the middle) if you were ok with staying in your comfort zone for the rest of your life.
So there’s more work to be done. And some of that work is going to be you getting comfortable with discomfort. Growth happens beyond our comfort zones, beyond the everyday, and is found in the challenges and the things you never thought you’d see yourself doing. Another thing that is going to come hand in hand with discomfort is failure. These two will walk hand in hand throughout your life.
What’s that famous saying “I never failed, I just found 99 ways how not to do something.”And I think that is so beautiful. Failure is a mindset, and it’s one our comfort is definitely afraid of. But with the help of the Lord, believing in yourself, and having the courage to step out from the weight of comfort, that is where you and your purpose can truly shine!
