Is Your Comfort Zone Really That Comfortable?

Earlier this week, I received an email from a guy I follow on YouTube. The subject of the email was “Have you heard of LET GO day?”. I was curious, so I clicked on the email (which is a lot further than I normally get with many of the emails that sneak into my inbox). In this email, he talked about how today was the 10th anniversary of the day he was laid off from his “dream job”. He calls this day “LET GO day”. He celebrates it every year because this was the day his life would ultimately be changed for the better, even though he couldn’t see it at the time. 

Since being let go from that dream job, he has started his own very successful company, and he is helping thousands of people pursue their dreams and do the kind of work they really love and are passionate about. But he never would have had that chance if he hadn’t been laid off. 

Towards the end of the email, there was one specific section that bears repeating, because I feel like it’s a truth a lot of us need to hear. He said:

“I just wanted to let you know something cool is coming, and to remind you that sometimes life hands us unexpected situations, but often times those dark moments can ultimately transform our lives into something even better. Sometimes, it just takes letting go to make that happen."

I don’t know about you, but I really needed to hear that. I’m one of those people who loves comfort and stability and consistency. I like to find something and really settle into it, all the while fighting off any type of change that threatens my comfort. But what I’m starting to realize is that staying comfortable may not always be what’s best for me. 

I feel like a lot of times, being comfortable goes hand-in-hand with being stagnant. We get settled into where we are, and we don’t want to move because we don’t like change. We get stuck in a rut, living day-to-day without a bigger picture in mind. We stop dreaming. We stop chasing the things we really want because we’re scared they will be difficult or frustrating or disappointing…or dare I say uncomfortable. 

But let me ask you something. If God is calling you to do something big, would you say “no thanks” because you didn’t want to lose your comfort and stability? A lot of us would like to say we wouldn’t, but in reality, a lot of us have avoided (or are currently avoiding) God’s call on our lives for fear of the unknown. 

There have definitely been times in my life where I’ve been afraid to step out of my comfort zone and follow God’s lead. Usually when that was the case, God had to take some drastic measures to get my attention. And I’m so glad he did, because looking back, drastic measures are exactly the push I needed to take the leap of faith. But if I’m being honest, that’s not the mentality I had at the time. I didn’t welcome God pushing me. On the contrary, I felt angry and confused and defeated because all I could focus on was the fact that I was being rejected from something good and stable and familiar. I had to come to grips with the fact that what I wanted was no longer in reach, and I had no choice but to let it go. It took a lot of time and a lot of praying before I understood that rejection was the necessary method to push me out of my comfort zone. 

There’s a quote I love that talks about this idea. The author says, “As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.” 

So often we can be tempted to focus on the pain of rejection and the frustration that comes with being uncomfortable. But the author is encouraging us to take comfort in the “something better” than can come along after you’re rejected from something good. 

Jesus talks to his disciples about this in Matthew 16:24-27. He says:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (NIV). 

Basically, Jesus is saying that you must deny yourself to follow him. In other words, you have to LET GO of the comfort and stability and familiarity that you are desperately trying to cling to. Even though that sounds scary, what Jesus promises us in return is so much better than any comfort zone you find yourself in. What he calls us to do and how he calls us to live will be way better in the grand scheme of eternity than anything else we could possibly try to seek comfort in. 

Think about the example Jesus set for us in leaving our comfort zones. He WILLINGLY died a gruesome, excruciating, painful, and unjust death on a cross. He experienced more discomfort than anyone else who has ever lived on this earth. But he did that so we could ultimately have a relationship with his Father and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus stepped out of his comfort zone for the good of all humankind. So why are we not willing to do the same?

You never know how someone’s life could be impacted by your boldness in obeying God’s calling on your life. Why not take that step of faith and leave your comfort zone? I think you’d be amazed at all that God can do with that small step of faith. And you might just realize that your comfort zone really isn’t that comfortable after all.