A sudden sound jars me awake. What is that? Oh, yeah. The alarm is beeping. Where is that remote for the alarm clock? There it is! Button pressed. Ah! Ten more minutes. I snuggle down under my comforter and head back to sleep. But what about getting up to write? What about my time with God? It is so cozy under my comforter, the soft warmth lulling sleepiness. I don’t want to get up! Through the morning brain fog I begin to hear a deeper, more subtle sound from within me. “Come on. It’s time to get up. We have some things to do together.” My feet are on the floor. I quickly find my slippers and pull on my bathrobe against the chill air. I’m up. Time for a warm cup of coffee and some time time doing what I know God wants from me.

Comfort. There’s a lucious word! It sounds so good. Hot cocoa and a warm blanket. Grandma’s chicken soup. A hot cup of tea on a cold day. Lunch with a good friend. A snowy evening at home watching a movie with the family. None of those things are wrong or bad. But let’s consider a different kind of comfort: I stay in a job that is less than satisfying, but easy to do or at least fits with my plans. I keep to a ministry position I’ve done for years, but is below my potential. I stay within my circle of friends and don’t reach out to anyone new. I ignore the nagging sense that God is calling me to more than who I am and what I am doing.

If I choose being comfortable over pursuing God’s purpose for me, then it doesn’t matter how good I might feel.There’s a word to describe it. I hesitate to use it because it’s a word no one likes. Sin. If I cling to comfort rather than pursue God’s purpose it is sin. Ouch! Not only that, if I cling to comfort rather than pursue God’s purpose, I will stagnate and not become the person God desires me to be. Who wants to reach the end of life feeling like you missed it? Not me, and I don’t think you do either. There is more than where you are right now. Don’t settle.

Comfort kills initiative. When I love comfort, and I do, by the way, the motivation to try anything different just fades.When I cling to comfort I don’t even try to make changes. I settle in and repeat what I am doing right now. This has been a big obstacle for me. I really like being comfortable! I was comfortable and content to simply be a support to my husband. I thought my purpose was to help him become all that God had called him to be. I thought that was my role and submerged any other sense of mission. It didnt occur to me that God had a plan and purpose for me beyond that. But over time it became impossible to ignore the persistent whisper of the Holy Spirt,  “There is more. Not behind your husband, next to him. I am calling you.”  It took a long time for me to actually step out and pursue more. It was safer in the background. I liked it. But it wasn’t the place that God wanted me.

Pursuing God’s purpose for me requires pushing myself beyond what is comfortable to what is truly satisfying. Responding to God’s voice meant taking uncomfortable, uncertain steps. I started taking ministry classes, all the while questioning if this was what I was really supposed to do. I didn’t know how anything would work out or where it would lead. I just knew I needed to do it. I enjoyed the classes and there was a sense of rightness in taking them. Even without a clear picture of where I was going I began to experience a deeper level of satisfaction in my life. Obeying God brings fulfillment and satisfaction, even if it also brings discomfort and uncertainty. Real life is outside your comfort zone.

As long as you are comfortable, you don’t need the extra power that God has for you.The Holy Spirit will meet you outside your comfort zone. Step out. I have found that it is as I move toward what I believe God is saying that I find the needed strength to do it. As long as I am sitting on the sidelines I have no need of strength. I can look out on the field and wonder whether I can make it out there, but I don’t need any strength to wonder. The bench is a comfortable place, but it isn’t fulfilling. Any player will tell you that the place to be, the place they want to be is on the field. But until I step out on the field I don’t really know all that will be required of me. It’s at the moment of need that I tap into the resource that God has made available to me: His abundant, overflowing, all-I-need Holy Spirit.

Stepping out of my comfort zone takes effort and risk, but there is no more satisfying place to be than in the will of God. Do you hear it? The whisper of the Spirit to come out of the comfort and pursue your purpose? Don’t try to push snooze and snuggle down. Step out and rise up. it’’s going to be worth it.

Key thought: God’s purpose for you is outside your comfort zone.

A Scripture to consider: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A YES Challenge: Do you have a sense of what God’s goal is for you? Take some time to craft that into a purpose statement, even if you are not 100% sure of it. What would you need to let go of in order to move toward that goal? Take some prayer time and ask God to help you make the necessary changes.

Prayer: Lord, Your purpose for me is so much bigger than I can achieve on my own. Help me to get a clear picture of the direction You want me to head in. Help me to be willing to leave behind some comfortable practices and places in order to press toward the goal You have for me. Amen.