“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when when you seek me with all your heart.” –Jeremiah 29:11-13
As I was sitting in my room the other morning eating my go-to breakfast of yogurt and granola, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was going to write my first blog post about, how I was going to explain this craziness that God is pulling me towards. The word that kept repeating in my head was comfortable…comfortable…comfortable. And to put it plainly, that’s just it. I am comfortable. I am comfortable where I am, at home, in school, in my life in general. I am surrounded by familiarity and know that I can always run back into this little box of comfort that I have created for myself if I’m ever feeling too challenged.
I find comfort sleeping on my squishy mattress in a temperature-controlled room. I find comfort in knowing that there will always be warm water for my shower even when my siblings nearly use it all. I find comfort in the fact that I am no more than a five-minute walk away from warm food that will nourish my body. I find comfort in knowing that if I need to go somewhere or just get away I can hop in my car and drive. I find comfort in knowing that the companionship and advice of friends and family is just a quick text or phone call away. I find comfort in knowing that I live in a country where I am in no immediate danger and that I have the freedom to voice my opinion and worship whoever I want to without fear of being persecuted. It’s as simple as that, I am comfortable.
But for a while now I’ve been feeling God tugging on my heart and pushing me to break out of this comfort and familiarity that I have come to rely on. He wants to break me out of the organized and orderly box that I live in. God has been pushing me towards a radical change in my life, not to continue straight into my sophomore year of college, but instead to pack my life into a 65-liter backpack and travel the world for nine months. I’ve felt him pushing me to serve and love those who have never heard his name. He wants to break me out of my comfort zone, and yes I am both scared and nervous, but I am also overwhelmed with joy and excitement knowing that God is going to turn my world completely upside down. He is giving me the opportunity to serve the Kingdom of God.
