To Seek Discomfort [ADVENTure Ten]

It's not something normal people do. 

Usually we seek comfort, like the feeling our favorite Christmas carol gives us. When I hear or sing Silent Night, it's like wrapping a blanket of God's love around me. It's pure comfort. It's lovely. All is calm, tender, mild. 

However this morning, I did something that is very much out of my comfort zone - and I volunteered to do it! I did not feel at all calm as I tried making it happen in the house, but with five teenagers and a ten year old milling about, it wasn't quiet enough anywhere for me to manage it. I tried the quietness of my van, but the lighting was horrible. I finally settled on a spot in my back yard where I could prop my phone and hit the record button and pray for the best. 

I have maybe taken a handful of selfies in my life. I certainly haven't purposely recorded myself to share on a public facebook page for all to see. Just the thought of doing such a thing kicks my anxiety up several notches. Somehow there I was, speaking to my phone's camera, set to record, for nearly five minutes. It wasn't the best angle. I didn't speak eloquently at all. But I got through it, and I didn't wander too far of on random tangents in the process. Like my blog posts, I gave it one take. I didn't edit. I just let it be what it was. And tomorrow I post it for the Something to Chew On women to see.

More and more these days, I find myself seeking to get out of my comfort zone and do things that cause me discomfort. How else do we learn and grow, experience new things, and get to know the kaleidoscope of people God puts in our path? Comfort is good, but not if we get stuck there. Getting out from under our blanket of sameness into the abundant variety God sets before us leads to beautiful things.