We often talk about our “comfort” zone, the place where we feel…well…comfortable. That’s not a bad thing. I want to be comfortable at home, around friends, and with our many global ministry partners. But is there a limit to our desire for comfort? Should there be an “uncomfortable” zone in our lives?

Have you ever worn shoes that were uncomfortable? I have. But that’s not what I am talking about. There are times when our comfort zone is a deep pit that keeps us from seeing what the Lord wants us to see. Often, we build the walls of that pit so high that we can’t see over our personal likes and spiritual prejudices. If you are saying “Ouch,” don’t feel too bad. Some of Jesus’ closest disciples had built up such walls, and the Lord Jesus had to reorient them to His thinking.

You probably remember the account that happened after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. The disciples were busy sharing the Good News, but in a way, they were stuck behind walls. They needed to learn the greatness of God’s heart, and it happened through Peter.

In Acts 10, we find the account of Peter on the roof of Simon the Tanner’s home. He had been there for a long time doing the Lord’s amazing work of healing lives and even raising from the dead a young lady named Tabitha. While on the roof, Peter, in a dream-like state, saw something like a sheet being lowered. It was filled with all sorts of animals, birds, and even reptiles. When the voice from heaven instructed Peter to get up, kill, and eat them, Peter went back into his comfort zone.

“Lord, I’ve never done that! Our Jewish laws have instructed me to not eat unclean things. Nope. Not doing it.”

Then the voice from heaven built a bridge from Peter’s comfort zone to God’s plan for sharing the Good News.

“Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

Acts 10:15 NLT

Peter’s thoughts weren’t bad or selfish. He was doing what he thought honored God. But the Lord needed to show Peter that the Gospel had a broader path, and it included the Gentiles.

I’m so glad Peter was willing to move out of his comfort zone to share the hope of Christ with that Roman soldier Cornelius. It opened the door for you and me to know the joy of salvation through Jesus Christ.

In my global travels, I have been confronted with things that are beyond my personal preferences and biblical understanding. I must be reminded that God’s ways are not necessarily my ways. I have had to hear that voice that said, “Don’t call something unclean that God has called clean.” And I have had to adjust my understanding to the Lord’s heart for the world.

There are certain things I won’t adjust —the main tenets of our faith. But there are other practices and areas that are okay spiritually, even if they are different from what I have always known or thought.

So, how do you discern these things? I’m glad you asked! Prayer. The daily study of God’s Word. An openness to the Holy Spirit’s instruction that may take me out of my comfort zone…but place me where the Lord can do amazing things in the lives of others. I’m willing to be uncomfortable if it furthers the work and the spread of God’s Good News to a lost an dying world.

God’s best,