As Fall is finally here, and the weather is beginning to change, you can just picture it now: a string of lights glowing in a warm room. The smell of your favorite seasonal candle filling the air. An oversized sweater, some yoga pants and fuzzy socks as the perfect ensemble. Cozy blankets galore. A cup of herbal tea in hand. Your favorite movie about to be played on your laptop.
Probably pizza, too (probably always pizza).
This is the dream.
The feeling you've been waiting for as the seasons start to change.
This is comfortable.
But comfortable is more than just a feeling.
Comfortable is hanging onto things that you've loved.
It's hanging onto dreams you've dreamed in the way that you've dreamed them.
Comfortable is planning out the details for yourself, and comfortable is everything going according to plan, and comfortable is having any bit of control.
Comfortable is the handful of childhood toys that you've kept in your closet because memories are special.
Comfortable is staying put in the safety of what you know.
Comfortable is being fully known and accepted by people.
Comfortable is found in the still and the quiet and the peaceful.
Comfortable is climbing into a blanket fort and staying there forever.
What is comfortable not?
Comfortable is never about letting go...
It's not about taking risks.
It's not about being bold.
Change and growth and moving and pursuing potential are not comfortable.
It's uncomfortable to surrender.
It's uncomfortable to forget.
It's uncomfortable to walk into the unknown.
The past couple of months, God has brought the word "comfortable" to my mind and my heart. It's amazing how this word can actually begin to make me feel so uncomfortable all of a sudden. The word, though at first thought brings warm fuzzies with the idea of "safe & sound," has stirred up an unsettling in my heart. And when there's an unsettling in my heart, that's often when God is calling me into something. In this case, He's called me into the journey of reevaluating the idea of what "comfortable" really means.
While feeling comfortable might be the most wonderful thing I could think of....I was challenged to imagine something else.
Join me in this: Imagine being stuck in a place where you never have the potential to grow and learn and become the person that God has made you to be.
Sometimes what's "comfortable" can hold us back from these things...Now I don't know about you, but staying "comfortable" all of the time doesn't sound very comfortable at all. That actually sounds pretty uncomfortable...
Don't get me wrong, a blanket fort with Netflix and pizza is not a bad thing...but it's the deeper idea of staying within our comfort zones that has got me questioning what I'm really meant to do with my life.
A little spark of a flame was struck in my soul, and I felt the Lord calling me to see things from a new perspective:
"Katie, look around you."
I looked around at what the Lord has blessed me with.
I saw the comfort of my home and my belongings in a new light.
I saw the things that have taken up residence in my heart in a new light.
I saw the dreams I've dreamed for myself in a new light.
I saw the things of this earth that I've held onto because they were a security blanket.
I saw the times I've "stayed" when I should have gone because I was comfortable.
I saw that the puzzle pieces I had been collecting over the years were being brought together by God in a way that I never had thought of before. The picture on the puzzle's box was being revealed to me, and it was looking different than what I had imagined it to look like.
God was showing me that the dreams I had been dreaming for myself were good, but they were wrapped up securely in bubble wrap and placed in a very safe and comfortable location. I was fine living out my dreams for God in the comfort of what was around me. I hadn't really fully surrendered to the idea of allowing God to use me and my heart and passion in the way that He wanted to. I hadn't fully surrendered to the idea of living out my dreams in the way that God had dreamed them up. I was learning that, sometimes, living according to God's dreams means leaving behind what I know, and letting go of things that aren't eternal.
The thought of big changes happening was not ideal for me. Not until God whispered to my heart:
"Katie, I'm everything you need. The things of this earth are only temporary. The things around you will fade away, but I am all that you need. You can let go of all of this: your idea of comfortable, the way you've dreamed your dreams, your need to feel like everything is in control. You can trust Me. Take My hand. Come with Me. Allow Me to dream your dreams for you. Allow Me to be the only security blanket you need. Take comfort in Me alone. As long as I am the place where you find your peace and comfort, you will be secure. I've got you. And I've got big plans for you. Just let go and come to Me."
After God showed me that I needed to be bold and step out in faith and trust Him in all things, even if I was "uncomfortable," I realized that I was all-in. With God's help, the bubble wrap was slowly being peeled back, exposing my dreams to the light of His plans for them. Because when you've got your hand safely tucked into the hand of the Creator of the universe and your heart, and you've got your worries set behind you, you're on the right path to finding true comfort, bubble wrap aside. Because true comfort can only come in the arms of Jesus.
As Christians, we're not called to live a "comfortable" life. We're called to live boldly for the cause of Christ. We're called to love, even when loving isn't "comfortable." We're called to stand up and fight for what is right and what we believe in. We're called to speak truth. We're called to hold onto our convictions, even when the world is pressuring us to give in to their standards. We're called to pursue righteousness, even when others disguise dirt, smut and evil as lovely and push it in our faces telling us to dig-in.
The road that God calls us down will, often times, not be our idea of "comfortable." Despite all that, God is calling us deeper to Himself, and in Him we can know that we have our security and peace.
It may be hard to let go of what's comfortable.
But darling, the Lord goes before you. And the Lord will be your strength.
I'm willing to risk it all for Him. It's gonna be a challenge, but it's a challenge worth pursuing.
xoxo,
katie
Bible Verses for encouragement & further study:
John 8:12 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Psalm 91:2 "I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"
1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."