The Little Things: Going outside of a Comfort Zone

By KELLY PRESTON, Special to The Paper

“Swing us out! Swing us out!” our kids often yell while tubing at the lake.  They want my husband to turn the boat quickly to the right and then to the left so they will go outside the wake. 

I have realized two things after watching this over and over:

Staying within the wake is easier, more comfortable, less risky.  And going outside the wake is harder, but it’s where the real adventure begins.

Then it hit me.  God often calls us out of our comfort zones in order to glorify Him and live the great adventure He wants us to experience.  Yet if we decide to stay “within the wake” and not take the risk of going “outside the wake,” we often miss out on so many things.

And I’ll be honest, most of the time I like to stay “within the wake.”  I like to be in control. I like to feel safe. I like to know what’s coming. I like to be comfortable.

But I’m also learning that if I don’t step out in faith and get out of my comfort zone, I will miss out on so much that the Lord is calling me to be and to do.  Like choosing to adopt.  Without that leap of faith, we would not have our precious daughter and the ministry of RACE for the Orphans would not have started.

Now getting outside the wake will bring highs, lows, and sometimes even wipeouts, but that’s LIFE!  

In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman:

“We’ll travel long, over mountains so high
We’ll go through valleys so low
Still through it all we’ll find that
This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see
The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams.” (The Great Adventure)

Or in the words of Jesus, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

I need to remind myself of these things every single day.  I hope that you, too, will join God in the great adventure He has planned for you.

Kelly Preston is a nurse-turned-stay-at-home-mom to four amazing and energetic children. Though she sometimes forgets to buy toilet paper amidst their busy schedules, Kelly finds time to run RACE for the Orphans, a non-profit focused on supporting adoptive families. She loves Jesus, people, a really good book, and pondering the little things.