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What is it about our comfort zones? We allow them to define and decide what we will and will not do. And if we\u2019re not careful, our comfort zone can even dictate whether or not we\u2019re obedient to God. I know because I\u2019ve done it.<\/p>\n
Back when I was in my 30s, I didn\u2019t make eye contact with strangers in the store. I didn\u2019t talk to people I didn\u2019t know. And I certainly didn\u2019t speak in front of people.<\/p>\n
Then I signed up for a direct-sales jewelry business where my job required me to walk into strangers\u2019 homes and stand in front of groups of women to talk about jewelry.<\/p>\n
What was I thinking?<\/p>\n
I remember having my first jewelry show at my own house. The woman who sponsored me did the presentation while I watched, and I immediately had buyer\u2019s remorse. I had made a mistake. There was absolutely no way I could do what she had just done.<\/p>\n
But I had made a pretty substantial investment, and as a mom with three little kids, I couldn\u2019t afford to lose that money. So I prayed,\u00a0\u201cGod, please just help me make my investment back.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n At my first show, I had note cards. One of my daughters sat on a little footstool beside me holding them. At some point during the presentation, I realized I had forgotten something and asked her to go get it. She stood up. My note cards fell on the floor and I had absolutely no idea what to say.<\/p>\n So I said something like, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s go shop!\u201d and ended the presentation.<\/p>\n Y\u2019all, talking in front of people was torment for me.<\/p>\n Today, I regularly speak in front of crowds. I host a podcast. I coach women. I\u2019ve written a book. I go live on social media. I\u2019ve spoken to hundreds and even thousands of people.<\/p>\n And now God has called me outside my comfort zone again as I launch a nonprofit.<\/p>\n So what happened between that terrified woman in her 30s and the woman I am today?<\/p>\n My comfort zone expanded.<\/strong><\/p>\n And yours can too.<\/p>\n 1. The Good Stuff Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n The memorable stuff. The moments when God moves in ways you didn\u2019t expect. The experiences that change you.<\/p>\n They typically happen outside your comfort zone.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Because inside your comfort zone, you\u2019ve got it.<\/p>\n You know what to do. You know how to do it. You know what to say. You can handle it in your own strength.<\/p>\n But then God asks you to do something and you think,\u00a0I cannot do this.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s where you have an opportunity to experience His strength instead of your own.<\/p>\n I remember pulling up to a jewelry show one evening and discovering that the hostess lived in a mansion.<\/p>\n I was immediately intimidated.<\/p>\n Then her guests began arriving. Attorneys. Judges. Corporate executives. Highly educated, incredibly successful women.<\/p>\n And there I was with my costume jewelry.<\/p>\n I felt like this little girl who peddled jewelry and had absolutely no business in that room.<\/p>\n I went into that woman\u2019s bathroom, got down on my knees beside the toilet, and prayed.<\/p>\n And somewhere in that prayer, my perspective began to change.<\/p>\n They knew what they knew. And I knew what I knew.<\/strong><\/p>\n I knew how to help women put themselves together. I knew how to help them choose pieces that made them feel confident. I could help that attorney walk into a courtroom looking polished and professional. I could help that professor stand in front of her students feeling pulled together.<\/p>\n Suddenly, it wasn\u2019t about whether I was impressive enough to be in the room.<\/p>\n It was about how I could serve the women in the room.<\/p>\n God taught me something that night that I\u2019ve carried with me ever since:<\/p>\n Take your eyes off yourself and focus on what God is asking you to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n When God calls you outside your comfort zone, He isn\u2019t necessarily asking you to take a running leap miles beyond it.<\/p>\n Sometimes He\u2019s simply asking you to take\u00a0one step<\/strong>.<\/p>\n One small stretch that says:<\/p>\n \u201cLord, I trust You. I\u2019m going to do what You\u2019re asking me to do, and I\u2019m going to give You room to work through me in Your strength.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss those moments.<\/p>\n 2. It\u2019s Not About You. It\u2019s About Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n We make so much of this about ourselves.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not qualified.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid.<\/em><\/p>\n What if I fail?<\/em><\/p>\n What will people think about me?<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve never done this before.<\/em><\/p>\n Do you notice how much\u00a0I<\/strong>\u00a0is in all of that?<\/p>\n When we focus on ourselves, our limitations become huge.<\/p>\n But you are a daughter of the King.<\/p>\n He is with you. He will not leave you. You can trust Him to do what He has promised to do.<\/p>\n If He is calling you, it is\u00a0His plan. His purpose. His strength. His responsibility to equip you. And ultimately, His glory.<\/strong><\/p>\n That changes things.<\/p>\n Maybe stepping outside your comfort zone isn\u2019t standing on a stage.<\/p>\n Maybe you know God is prompting you to pray out loud with a friend, but you keep thinking,\u00a0I don’t know what to say. I’m not eloquent enough.<\/em><\/p>\n Don’t overcomplicate it.<\/p>\n Take her hand and say, \u201cGod, please be with my friend. She\u2019s going through a hard time. Help her know You are with her.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s it.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t have to be impressive.<\/p>\n Obedience doesn’t require you to impress people. It requires you to trust God.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do it afraid.<\/p>\n And then watch what happens.<\/p>\n The next time, you probably won’t be quite as terrified because you’ll remember,\u00a0God met me there. I can trust Him to meet me here too.<\/em><\/p>\n 3. Your Comfort Zone Expands Every Time You Choose Courage and Obedience<\/strong><\/p>\n This is what I wish I could go back and tell that terrified thirty-something-year-old version of myself.<\/p>\n Every time you choose courage and obedience, your comfort zone gets a little bigger.<\/p>\n I started talking to strangers even though it was uncomfortable. Today, I talk to people I don’t know all the time.<\/p>\n I stood in front of a handful of women with my knees knocking. Eventually, I stood in front of hundreds and even thousands.<\/p>\n The first podcast episode scared me.<\/p>\n Writing and releasing my first book scared me.<\/p>\n Coaching my first client scared me.<\/p>\n And now, in my 60s, God has asked me to launch a nonprofit born from a deeply painful time in our family’s life.<\/p>\n It’s way outside my comfort zone.<\/p>\n I had just gotten comfortable!<\/p>\n And here He is again, asking me to step out on the water and trust Him.<\/p>\n But here’s what I know now that I didn’t know all those years ago:<\/p>\n I have evidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n I have years of evidence that God is faithful.<\/p>\n Without first standing in front of six or seven women talking about jewelry, I don’t know that I could have taken the step I’m taking today.<\/p>\n God has stretched me a little at a time.<\/p>\n And He’ll do the same with you.<\/p>\nHere are a few things I want you to know\u2026<\/h2>\n