COMFORT ZONES
March 18, 2020
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that You know what’s best for me. Thank you for stretching, molding, and purging me. You are in charge of my life. I will let you lead. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Scripture: Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. Genesis 12:1 NKJV
As teachers, we’re very familiar with comfort zones. How many of us motivate our students to move from their comfort zones to try something new? We encourage them to explore new ways of solving math problems, comprehend vocabulary words, and dig deep with new topics. That’s wonderful, but what about us.
Are we willing to get out of our comfort zones? I’m guilty of becoming complacent. We can’t grow and excel when we’re complacent. It’s ok to stretch and leave your comfort zone. My student-teaching was completed in a first grade classroom. Then I taught first grade for nine years. One day, the principal told me I was moving to fifth grade. I instantly became nervous and anxious. My faith went out the window. I thought, first grade is all I know. Fifth graders are older and mean. Why me? Oh my, I have to learn all that new material! So much went through my mind. Instead, I should have been thinking “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
Little did I know, God was stretching and preparing me for something greater. I absolutely loved teaching fifth grade! I cried like a baby when I had to leave my fifth graders (who weren’t mean, as I originally thought) to go teach fourth grade. I fell in love with teaching fourth grade as well. I really was stretched out of my comfort zone when I taught sixth grade for summer school, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Abram was definitely stretched out of his comfort zone. God instructed him to leave family and travel until He said stop. God pulls us out of our comfort zones to see if we really trust Him. Abram trusted God, and became the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4) and the father of faith. Do you trust God? Will you go when he says go? Will you have that tough conversation with a parent, coworker, principal, or student?
In conclusion, the only way to grow and have a deeper relationship with God is to get out of our comfort zones. We have to do something we don’t usually do. Don’t worry. If God is directing you out of your comfort zone, He’s not going to leave you.
Copyright Niccori Thomas-Brown. Email [email protected]
If you’ve enjoyed this devotion, Niccori has more topics in her book, Doing All God Has Called You To Do: A Devotion For Novice Teachers. Available for purchase here.