This week: In The (Comfort) Zone Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 350 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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In The (Comfort) Zone
I haven't been a believer for very long. I've only regularly attended church for about ten years now, but in that time I've started to recognize a few patterns in my faith. The most notable one is when I get a little too comfortable. It's so easy to boil the church experience down to attendance on Sunday, being polite to the few other attendees I interact with, enjoying the worship music, listening and taking notes during the sermon, and then promptly putting my faith away in a little box until it's time to take it out again the following Sunday. And it's remarkable just how comfortable that routine can become.
If I'm being really honest, it's easy to become complacent about all of the stuff that's related to church too. Charitable giving? Just tithe that 10% to the church or put some cash in the collection plate as it passes by and let the church figure out where it goes. Mission trip to an area of need somewhere in the world? Actually going would be such a hassle; it's easier to just sponsor someone else and pray for their safe journey.
The world teaches us that comfort is a good thing. A goal, even. Acquire enough financial means to live comfortably. Have a safety net of family and/or friends you can rely on if things get tough. Find a job you can do competently and don't make waves. There's a certain appeal to being comfortable, because being comfortable means avoiding having to struggle with anything hard.
But that "comfort zone" isn't where change happens. It's rarely where you have an opportunity to experience the miraculous. That's happening on the front lines, to people who are risking something to go out on a limb and put themselves in a position where something miraculous can happen. Signs and wonders rarely happen to people who aren't in desperate need of a sign or wonder. People rarely change their mind if they're never confronted with ideas that are different from their own. That's why it's so important to put yourself out there in the name of furthering your spirituality/faith.
My pastor likes to say something along the lines of "armchair quarterbacks are never the ones that get front row seats," and that's always stuck with me. A lot of times, I find myself wishing for "front row" experiences. I want to see God move in miraculous ways. I want to see lives changed and radical acts of generosity and love. But I tend to want to do it from the safety of the back row, where I can hide in obscurity. It's kind of like being at a comedy club, or in a classroom. A lot of us choose seats in the back or on the periphery. Very few of us march right up to the very front and take those seats in the first row, which often means we don't get the experience of people who are in the first row, who are truly in the middle of what's going on.
I realize that this editorial isn't for everyone. There are people who need high levels of comfort in their lives because they have biological or historical issues like stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, etc. that manifest when they're in an uncomfortable or uncertain position. But I think there are also a lot of people who want more out of their spiritual/faith journey and don't go outside their comfort zone precisely because it's uncomfortable and almost all of us are taught from an early age to avoid things that are uncomfortable. I certainly count myself in that group, and it's a real struggle to find ways to get myself out of the comfort zone so I can grow my faith and get more plugged into what God is doing in the world.
Over the years, I've known people who have put themselves in the position to really step out in their faith. Friends of mine planted a church centered around a core belief that literally walking around the streets of their city and praying for miraculous healing for those who are open to it will result in miraculous healing. Spoiler alert: it did. More than one pastor I know participates in reverse tithing (instead of giving away 10% of their income and keeping 90%, they give away 90% and only keep 10%) under the belief that God will find a way to provide for their needs. Spoiler alert: he has. For some, just being open to asking for prayer or offering to pray for someone else in a public setting can be a major leap of faith.
Whatever stepping out of your comfort zone in faith may look like for you, I'd encourage you to give it a try. Unless you have a legitimate mental or physical health condition that prevents you from taking risks, I'd challenge to you take one the next time you're presented with an opportunity. Comfort is great for a lot of things, but growth isn't one of them. See how much you can grow in your spirituality/faith when you step outside that comfort zone and see what's going on in the world just a little farther out.
Until next time,
Jeff
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Spiritual: August 10, 2022 Issue [#11504]
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