IN THE ZONE

I'm not a big fan of trivia games, because I like to win, and I don't want to be held responsible for making my teammates losers! But I play, because I'm with my friends. 

I'm not likely to start up a conversation in the mornings until a cup of coffee or two has kicked in. I like my first hours to be quiet for as long as possible. Telling high school students, parents and teachers to leave me alone, however, does not bode well with my bosses. So I talk, answer phones, and make conversation, because I want to represent the school well. 

Crawling into a small crevice in the side of a mountain on my belly in mud for about 15 feet just so I could sit inside a cave was never on my bucket list. But trusting my youth pastor and knowing that I'd miss a once-in-a lifetime opportunity (in front of my high school crush) if I backed out was motivation enough to try something new.

Sleeping...well, trying to sleep...in a hut in the middle of a hot African village, in a dress, on a bamboo mat on a dirt floor, with a blanket on top of me to keep the mosquitoes off, laying shoulder to shoulder in the middle of two sweaty friends leads to prayers like "Lord, please just let me fall asleep so this can be over soon." But I went, and I survived, and I'm glad.

If I'm going to be "in the zone" when it comes to relationships and reaching out to others for the sake of Christ, then sometimes I have to get "outta the zone"-my comfort zone, that is.

So many times our excuses for not participating in an event or not committing to a project are fueled by the preferences and conveniences that exist inside our comfort zones. But if we never get out of the zone, then our zone will never grow. Sometimes we just have to suck it up, do hard things that are not our first choice...and reap the rewards. 

Galatians 6:7-10 says:

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Let's get out of our comfort zones to get "in the zone" this week! 


~Rebecca Phillips