Leaving My Comfort Zone

©Ashley Lluay 2014

A few years ago, on a sunny summer day, I was talking with a friend of mine. We drove home from camp, after a long few weeks working with kids. I watched the scenery roll by, the rugged green mountains and sparkling reservoir as familiar to me as the back of my own hand. We discussed all sorts of things-- how she had liked a guy for years but didn't know if he liked her back, but she wanted whatever God wanted for her. I told her I was nervous about starting college that fall. How I was scared of the unknown.

And then she told me something I'll never forget:

" God doesn't use us when we're comfortable, Ashley."  

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

Of course.

Because when we're comfortable-- living our lives based on what we already know, on our own experiences and wisdom-- there is no room for God. No room for His power in our lives.

Because when we're comfortable, we tend to think that we know it all-- we've got it all under control.

But we are SO wrong.

We are NEVER under control of our own lives, no matter how easy the situations in our lives seem. All it takes is one moment to realize that maybe we're not in control of our own lives, after all.

In a few weeks, my husband and I will be leaving the familiar for the unknown, the present for the future. We are going 3,525 miles away from our family, friends, and all we have ever known.

And it's scary. No, it's downright terrifying.

But maybe that's the way it should be.

Because if we were comfortable with it, God wouldn't have any room to grow us. We wouldn't have to rely on Him to get us through.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." 2 Corinthians 4:7, NASB


 When you feel like you don't know where you are going, and you don't understand the changes that are coming-- when you feel all is lost as you leave one thing to move to the next-- know that there is One who never lets you go. He has known you before the creation of the world, and yet He wants to hold you as you go through the things that are too hard to handle on your own. We know that God never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) and He can be your foundation when all the circumstances around you are shifting.

Let Him be your anchor. Hold fast to the One who never lets you go.

P. S. The friend I wrote about in the beginning of this post is now happily married to the guy she was wondering about, and they have a beautiful marriage founded on Christ. They just had to wait for His timing. As for me, I had one of the best years of my life at that college, although I made many mistakes and it was also one of the hardest and most challenging years I've been through. But that's a story for another time. :)

Holding Fast to My Anchor,
Ashley Lluay, Lightchaser

Are you going through a time of transition? Are you struggling to trust God with your future? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!