Freedom: Getting out of Your Comfort Zone!

    

        My pastor Sam recently posted on social media this "If it's really God calling you it will never be for your comfort, it will rarely make sense and will always be something you don't really think you can do. Don't put God's name on something that's really for your selfish gain."

        This made me think. I thought I would share. Until I moved to Florida the first time in 2014, I had never really ever done anything outside of my comfort zone. In 8 months, I did things like skydiving and took a scuba diving class. Nothing is as freeing as skydiving! I truly felt alive for the first time. I had freedom! I had priorities in order for the most part. These were some happy times and Nicholas was at a high point in life! Before that I was in a really low point in life. Suicidal thoughts were almost constant. Those thoughts quickly dissipated.

      After eight months in Florida, I moved back to West Virginia and was doing alright mentally but wasn't as happy. I had freedom in Florida that I didn't have living under my parents' roof. I was back in WV for 2 and a half years. I was doing pretty well though mentally. I moved back to Florida in Aug of 2017. I had a taste of freedom before and loved it and handled it pretty well. This time I was pretty sure I was in Florida to stay so I lived it up and had total freedom. This time I didn't handle it as well. I was living for ME! It was all about ME from then until the pandemic for those 2 and a half years I was living how I wanted I was pushing away people I knew would not approve of how I was living and ignoring pretty much any principles I had held close my whole life. I did things I am not proud of. (Especially about 6 specific months in the middle.) The pandemic made me stop a lot of things, but I still didn't have direction in my life. 

      I moved to the Florida panhandle about seven months ago and wanted to get involved with a church. I didn't really like churches in Orlando. I tried several. Part of that was me and the stage of life I was in and part of that were churches seemed to care about money and numbers. I found this church immediately where I could grow, serve and be challenged to live with a mission to be more like Jesus and share it with those around me. The people in my church are honest, open and are the least judgmental group of Christians I have ever met.  A lot of this I think can be linked to the focus of the church of sharing the love of Jesus outside the four walls and our pastor Sam leads by example!  

        I started serving with the children at the church and am having a blast about every other week! I didn't think there would be a spot for me to serve with kids. When I started attending, I thought "They don't need me! They probably have more than enough help." But I was wrong! I keep having these thoughts "I am not good enough. Someone else should do it." I just keep reminding myself what my pastor Sam said to me "God led you here and led you to serve."  When I am serving it reminds me this is much bigger than myself! After being in and out of church for 5 years coming back consistently is what I needed. It filled a hole I had for so long I forgot what it felt like to have that community that will pray for and with you! 

      I am getting back to the point where I feel I have freedom again. I am getting my priorities in order again and it feels great! This time the freedom isn't about being out of my parents' house and living in a place where nobody knows me, it's about spiritual freedom that can only come from God! (You don't have to skydive to feel freedom, although I think you should at least once!)  I can still have freedom with guidelines for myself! Life is about balance after all! 

       Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

Thanks for reading! As always feel free to share and comment!