The Comfort Zone

Over the summer I came across a quote that says

"You can only grow if you're willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new."

I've been at school for exactly a week now and let me say, I feel that quote SO much.

Being someone who struggles with social anxiety on the daily, who doesn't like asking someone for their wifi password or where their bathroom is, who doesn't like walking into the full cafeteria at lunchtime by herself, life can be lowkey rough sometimes.

But I've been noticing this past week that God has so much cool stuff in store if I'm willing to obey Him, branch out, and do something that makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Let me share a lil story with y'all.

Last night my school partnered with two local churches and had an evening church service in a local park. I believe this initiative was started in my freshman year, and I've attended this service each year. But as soon as it's over, I usually head back to the safe comfort zone-y bubble that is my school's campus, and then go about my evening.

Not so last night.

Source: Aaron Greenwood, unsplash.com

One of my friends from school is a member of one of the local churches that my school partners with for this initiative. And the whole point of this initiative is for these three institutions to band together to love on the local community. So my friend invited my roommate and I to come and hang out with the young adults group from his church.

That doesn't sound so awkward and uncomfortable, does it?

It was awkward and uncomfortable when my roommate and I (who drove separately from our friend who invited us) stopped to get food at Wendy's and after ordering our food, went to sit down with about five people that we didn't know - from that church - tell them that we were from the Bible college, and then have a conversation.

It was awkward and uncomfortable when my roommate and I parked her car, walked up the driveway of a random guy - again, from that church - knocked on the door of said random guy, and then proceeded to walk into a living room full of young people of whom we only knew two.

BUT.

The evening was so much fun! My roommate and I spent the car ride home talking about how awesome it was that immediately after the church service about loving on the local community, we went to someone in the community's house, loved on the people there, and were loved on right back. Honestly, I was floored when I commented, "Thank you for letting two random girls just come into your house." and someone responded: "You're not random girls! We're brothers and sisters in the family of God." And everyone else in the room responded with something to the same effect. It was an amazing feeling.

I'm thankful that God is really really really pushing me out of my comfort zone this year - and it's only been one week! Legit, my comfort zone called me up last night, asking me to return home to the safety and warmth of the bubble. But I hung up.

God is doing some really cool things, and I can't wait to see what the rest of these eight months have in store. All I have to do is be willing to trust God, and be willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when I try something new.