Comfort zones—we all have them. Those safe and familiar places we retreat to when we feel overwhelmed or afraid. Comfort zones are necessary for rest and relaxation. They’re healing places to recuperate and regain our balance.
But these rest stops along life’s highway aren’t meant to become our permanent residence. With all the upset in the world, it’s tempting to regress, to shrink back into the familiar and simply close up shop. Yet hiding our light under this proverbial bushel only ensures that we miss out on the incredible blessings that come from helping others.
Many years ago, I was secure in my boat, my comfort zone, when I was asked to step out into some very tumultuous and unchartered waters. Our one-year-old niece Cassandra, whom we had never met, was abruptly rescued from her drug- and alcohol-addicted parents and placed in emergency foster care. We learned that if we didn’t immediately take her, she would most likely remain in the foster care system until she was 18.
I knew that this would completely change our lives. My husband and I were already raising three active little boys, and now we would be challenged with Cassandra’s past, the financial commitment of raising her, and the legal fees needed to secure her future with us.
Feeling stuck, we sought the counsel of a trusted friend and pastor. Needless to say, we were shocked when he simply said, “If you think you can at all do this, just do it. The steps and resources you’ll need will follow.”
To make a very long story short, we stepped out of the boat that day, trusting that the love we claimed to believe in would lead us, guide us, and provide for us. And boy, did it ever! The miraculous happened, and 24 years later this beautiful daughter of ours is a testament to love’s great overcoming power.
Faith always requires an action to prove it true. This isn’t a test of loyalty, but rather an invitation for us to travel beyond our so-called limitations. Only when we step out of the boat can we realize that we might actually walk on water.
