Comfy is good. I like comfy. I usually look for comfy. And once I locate it, I usually choose it so I can snuggle in and say, “Ahh, this is nice.” End of story, right? Well… I don’t really think so. As wonderful as comfy is, there is an uncomfortableness that eventually stirs inside when we consistently default to choosing the comfortable.
Don’t get me wrong, I love and need the comfort of snuggling up with a steamy cup of yumminess on a cold day. Sitting in my favorite chair with a good book. A good conversation with people I love. Enjoying the beauty of Spring flowers in the yard, plus a much longer list. It’s these kind of pleasures that bring comfort and a sense of play and rest which are required for us to be physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally healthy. But all too often I’ve chosen to not reach out to that friend because I didn’t know what to say. Or grabbed that 3rd or 4th cookie just because I wanted it. Or shrank back from sharing a thought because of the fear of being judged… But these things matter. And I was too comfortable choosing comfort over relationship, over discipline, over courage. I knew within me something needed to shift.
So, my necessary step to move me out of being so comfortable with comfy was to do something way outside of my comfort zone. I mean past “kinda scary” into the realm of, “Gosh, am I really doing this??” Beyond the thought of, “Maybe I will or maybe I won’t” and on to, “If I do this it has the potential to change my life!” It was time for me to put up or shut up. So after 50+ years of thinking about it (thanks to Ripcord, a TV show when I was really young 😊) I decided jumping out of a perfectly good airplane was a MUST. I didn’t want my idol of comfort to continue to be my excuse for settling for less. Not for me or for my life. To be a good steward of the gifts and talents God planted within me means I can’t always choose comfort and play small. And to enjoy life abundant I have to step into it, or in this case jump into it, even when it’s risky.
On November 20, 2021 I jumped out of that perfectly good airplane. Woo Hoo!! And it was SPECTACULAR!! The rush of falling 120 mph for almost a minute followed by the vast beauty and quiet of gently floating in midair for five minutes can’t be duplicated with words. It must be experienced. Was it life changing? Maybe not for everyone but it was for me. It blew away some of my self-imposed obstacles that held me in my comfort zones and expanded my vision of possibilities for myself and my life. It’s crazy how many more options and opportunities I see now. OK here’s a funny, but true example of what I’ve seen even in little things. I usually stand in the shower five extra minutes just because I love the hot water. But seriously, now I find myself thinking, “Turn the water off because there’s bigger adventures waiting.” So in addition to celebrating a lower power bill because of less hot water, I celebrate a shift in mindset. A willingness to step out in faith into bigger visions. To risk more. And to remember the reward of what the actual experience is like when I don’t settle for comfy. Life is hard and nothing is perfect so to me it makes it even more necessary to not skimp on the life-giving stuff by settling for our definition of comfort at that moment.
So, (hmm…I’ve used that word a lot in this blog) what impact has this had on me besides the length of my showers? More courage to joyfully move forward in something that feels very risky and is beyond me. And that’s good because it keeps me humble and dependent upon Father God. For those of you who have been reading my blogs, you know I’ve felt the Lord calling me to Unleash my Voice. It’s not about adding more clutter and noise out there just to express my opinions or views but to Speak Life with inspiration, encouragement and truth for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ.
Often it is the places of our pain that Jesus turns into purpose and this is the case here. Since I was 10 years old, I’ve struggled with words. I believed a lie of the enemy and I felt inadequate to choose the right words to communicate well or make people hear what I was trying to say. This became a self-fulfilling prophecy and particularly over the past 25 years I struggled and retreated in ways nobody really knows. Filled with great emotion and disappointment, sometimes it was all I could do to keep engaging. Comfort was not putting myself in positions to be disappointed again. But God… (what a powerful truth that is!) began to stir in my heart the reality that I DO have a voice and it comes from the identity He planted deep inside me. And I have a RESPONSIBILITY to express it through the ways He has gifted me so I can speak life to others. And it is needed for such a time as this. So for those reasons this blog was born. For now, writing is a better way for me to choose my words so I’ve been learning to unleash my voice here and I appreciate your encouragement!!!
But now it’s time for the next jump. (Gulp!) It’s more than just me unleashing MY voice. I am to help others find joy and freedom in unleashing their voice to also speak life. There is waaaaayyyy too much life-sucking noise out there. As believers we are called to build up and strengthen the Body of Christ so Speaking Life is like finding our life vest to throw out to others in a drowning world. And I don’t think that happens as we cling to our comfort zones.
You may not struggle with using your “voice” but most of us can use encouragement to keep going or just get started, whether it’s verbal, written, music, art, relationships, or whatever God has gifted you with. So I invite you to visit my new Unleashing Voices Facebook page www.facebook.com/unleashingvoices where I’ll begin sharing resources and thoughts and tools to encourage you to take a look at your “voice”. And if you feel a tug to go a little deeper, I will send you an invitation to my free private Facebook group where we’ll explore more together. It’s awful to feel like you don’t belong or you’re too different or you’re not able to make an impact. Been there. Done that. The great news is that’s not God’s choice for you either. And I invite you to learn more.
OK, instead of a mic drop I feel like I just repeated that 120 mph drop by making this “jump” official and putting it out there to the world. It’s risky and it’s definitely outside of my comfort zone. But I remember that sweet ride floating in the air and seeing the horizon from a much different vantage point. I want more of that and I want you to experience that too. You may not be ready to jump (all in His timing) but you may be ready to consider how long your showers are. Let’s learn together!
Unleashing Voices to Speak Life 