Thursday, 07 August 2008
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Stay In Your "Comfort Zone"
by miss poppy
I have heard many people expound on the idea that we need to get out of our comfort zones or that if we are content as Christians, then there is something wrong. I used to agree wholeheartedly with this, and it made me very anxious when I thought about it. Now I disagree. My concepts of comfort and contentment have completely changed.I used to get vaguely uneasy whenever I thought about God. I viewed Him as a person I could never please and who would always ask me to move out of any place of comfort I came to. Because I was such a bundle of nerves, my moments of peace were few and far between. It was torture to think that God disapproved of these few moments of comfort.
However, as He began to reveal His love to me, my ideas took a 180 degree turn.
I now believe that comfort and contentment are natural byproducts of a growing Christian life. No, not comfort due to inactivity or apathy (which is actually numbness rather than comfort), but the deep comfort that comes from a close love relationship with God.
The truth is, there is no comfort zone to be found outside God's will, and within God's will, perfect comfort is always available. As a result, my goal is to go deeper and deeper into God's comfort zone, centering myself on the true contentment that He provides and saying goodbye to anxiety forever.
What do you find comfort in? Do you find comfort in your relationship with God?
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Comments (36)
@misspoppy - Please read my comment to Evowookiee. I never said in my initial comment that people should be scared of god, I was arguing against complacency, disrespect and thinking god / Jesus is this super safe, super nice guy.
Yeah, the Bible says that god is our father. It also doesn't paint a picture of him being safe or nice. That was what I was saying.
I don't think we have a disagreement.
Again, read my other comments in this thread please.
@bittersunday@xanga - I think He's both safe and nice. I believe God's desire is for every person in the world to be fully comfortable in His love at all times. Again, that doesn't mean I respect Him less. I respect Him more because He's amazing and yet chooses to be approachable and tender.
@misspoppy - I think it's very unBiblical to see god as "safe" or "nice".
But if you have examples of Scripture that lead you to believe he is either and I have examples of Scripture that lead me to believe he is neither then none of us are ever going to change the other's opinion.
@bittersunday@xanga - It's probably mostly semantic differences. "Nice" I will give away, but safe I won't. He's not safe in the sense that we can predict Him, but we can know that we are absolutely safe with Him because He will never do anything with us that is less than the best for us. He's 100% trustworthy, and that is biblical. This is one of the things God has been showing me lately, and it's a main reason I'm not a basket case any more. I have absolute certainty that God will always treat me with absolute love. I can't imagine anything safer. Even if I died for Him, I would be safe in His embrace.
@misspoppy - Semantics, then, definitely because the Bible does indeed state that god is trustworthy and loving. So in that sense you and I can agree that he is presented as "safe"--in the sense that you can fully trust him, that his love will not waver, that he does not change, etc.
Again, semantics. I find the word "safe" to have very different connotations then what you wrote.
@bittersunday@xanga - you must be good! Tetris ties me up in knots because I want to conquer any game I play, and Tetris always has a higher level than I can handle. However, it is an excellent distraction.
@Be_A_Revolution@xanga - "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Tim 6
Paul wrote elsewhere about the secret of being content whether in prosperity or poverty. Contentment is a good thing.
@AngelBeast777@xanga - Yeah. It is. I guess I just seem to get a negative picture/feeling with the word. I seem to always equate contentment with staleness...if that makes sense.
@AngelBeast777@xanga - I like bragging, but yes I am excellent at Tetris. ^^ It is one of the few things in my life I can say with absolute certainty that I am completely phenomenal at haha. I love Tetris. It appeals to my OCD-ridden mind.
@Be_A_Revolution@xanga - I tend to equate contentment with inner peace - whether the cupboard is empty or full I am at peace with my Father and myself - that kinda thing.
You need to be careful that comfort doesn't become stagnation. You can't grow and develop without stepping outside your comfort zone once in a while.