"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." — Matthew 11:28-29
On the topic of comfort zone, we've all been told to step out of it, and that it's a place that we don't belong in. In so many ways it's true that the comfort zone is not meant for us. It can make us complacent and unwilling to move. But it may surprise you that God actually invites us to step into a comfort zone—one that isn't ours, but His.
The Bible tells us that God is like a shepherd with a "rod and staff" to comfort us. (Psalm 23:4)
Yes, God actually wants to bring us comfort. But God's comfort looks a little bit different from the comfort that our comfort zones provide.
The human comfort zone is one that makes us settle in an unhealthy way. It causes us to lose drive and will to actively pursue God's best for us. God, on the other hand, invites us into His comfort zone that restores and activates in us a divine strength to get us on our feet and charge on.
One story that stands out as a great example is Elijah's crisis in 1 Kings 19:4-14. After being threatened to be executed by Jezebel and traveling far, the prophet fell into a depression that caused such an intense burn out that he asked for his life to be taken away.
God, at that moment, then provided an angel to comfort and feed Elijan. Verse 8 goes on to tell us, "So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God."
Many of us go through life thinking that it's wrong to seek comfort. As a result we work and work non-stop thinking that all comfort zones are bad and that to stay in them is to be lazy.
But God invites us into His comfort to be rejuvenated by His rest. It's such an important facet of life, in fact, that God commanded the Israelites to keep one day to be rejuvenated by God's presence.
Because we are limited creatures, we need to experience God's comfort and restoration. God allows us to experience His comfort most especially when we are burdened and weary. Jesus is the only way to the right kind of comfort zone that will empower us and not cause us to settle.
