Photo Credit: Danny Huizinga via Creative Commons

[dropcaps style= ‘square’]W[/dropcaps]e want to live comfortable lives. Our comfort zone is an interesting thing. Outside of our comfort zone, we can feel out of control, uncertain, or afraid. But, there also lies excitement, adventure, and new things. At the edge of where we feel comfortable, there is an uncomfortable tension – to step back or to step forward.

 

Sometimes we step back because the cost of stepping forward is too great.

 

The first step tends to be the most scary. What if the place we are supposed to live is just right outside of our comfort zone? As you step out, your comfort zone grows with you. It expands in relation to our willingness to expand our lives. Maybe you have experienced this when you tried something new. You might have started leading a small group, a new position at work, or a new season of life. New things are hard. It brings insecurities to the surface. New is almost always outside of our comfort zone.

 

The First Step

 

Peter faced this same quandary as well when he decided to get out of the boat and walk to Jesus. The boat was his comfort zone. He had spent years of his life in boats as a fisherman. Yet, right over the edge of the boat was outside of what was familiar, but it was where Jesus was standing. At the edge of his comfort zone, he had a choice – to step back or to step forward.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said. (Matthew 14:28-29 NIV)

 

This is an invitation Peter may not have expected. Come. Let go of the safety of your boat. Let go of the certainty of a familiar future. Step into the adventure.

 

Jesus is still offering us that invitation today. Come. Step out of your comfort zone and into the wild adventure of following Him. Peter’s decision to step forward would change that moment. As he stepped out, he walked on water. We can discredit Peter for looking around at the waves, getting distracted, and losing faith. Yet, right outside of his comfort zone, he lived a story worth writing home about. Sometimes we can be on long, hard roads that are outside of what is familiar or that which we would prefer. How do we know when to keep walking or turn around? The answer can be found in Peter’s story. Go wherever Jesus is. If he is in the boat, stay in the boat. If he is on the water, walk toward him.

 

 Go Where He Leads

 

As God leads us in our lives, it won’t always be comfortable or convenient. Yet, in our discomfort, many times God is doing something significant in our lives. There is a refining process that occurs when we are stretched. Peter would have never forgotten that moment of walking to Jesus after he got out of the boat. And the moments that we step out of the boat are ones that become ingrained in our hearts. You might fail. You might start sinking, but if Jesus is there, there is no better place to be.

 

At the edge of our comfort zone, we have a choice.  The choice to step back or step forward can be destiny defining. Those moments change our stories. Sometimes it can be hard to know which way to go. May Peter’s story serve as a reminder: Walk to Jesus, wherever he is, even if it is outside of your comfort zone.

 

His invitation stands: “Come.”

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

 

 

 

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