Comfort What? Comfort Zones
Spend about 20 minutes around our team and chances are you'll hear the phrase "comfort zone" a time or two. I knew that picking up and moving thousands of miles away to rural Uganda with a bunch of strangers would undoubtedly involve stepping out of mine, but it seems that every day there is a new lesson to be learned about abandoning familiarity and comfort to follow God into the hard places.
For starters, I never expected that my ministry here would involve playing volleyball with a bunch of high school boys. If I had known that as I was signing up for this trip, I probably would have turned and run in the other direction. Thankfully, the Lord in His infinite wisdom waited to reveal this minor detail until my feet were firmly planted in Ugandan soil and there was no turning back.
I'll admit, as most of the other girls would, that I wasn't completely thrilled when I found out our days would be spent at the all-boys' Makobore High School, teaching and discipling the 13-22 year old students there.
"Where are the cute babies I'm supposed to be holding?" I thought. "And where are the hurting mothers I'm supposed to be loving?" The answer, I've found, is that they are safely inside of my comfort zone. These boys, however, are not.
I know how to work with kids. I know how to relate to women. I'm equipped with tools to help them. I can do it "on my own." But stick me in the middle of a dozen of these students and I realize in an instant how much I have to depend on God. Which is exactly where He wants me. Time after time He meets me in my need and reminds me that His power is made perfect in my weakness. So I will follow Him into whatever exists outside of my comfort zone and wait for Him to work.
This week, He chose to work in a Wednesday night Bible study led by some of the older boys. As I sat at an old desk in a dilapidated classroom and watched a handful of boys worship with just their voices and a few drums and listened to 22 year old Lawrence preach with authority on the book of Galatians, I was humbled by the fact that these students were getting what most Christians in America spend their whole lives missing. Their Bible study wasn't about packing a room full of people for the sake of numbers and recognition. It wasn't about being entertained through extravagant programs and games and events. It wasn't about flashy worship and cushy seats and personal preferences and it definitely wasn't about comfort.
It was about a desire to see the Gospel proclaimed to students who are hungry for the Word. It was an understanding that it doesn't matter how many people showed up because where 2 or 3 are gathered, their God was there in the midst of them. It was a lesson that wasn't concerned with being catchy or relevant, but rather with a commitment to preach biblical truths. It was worship driven by the realization that God has blessed them with breath in their lungs and beating hearts in their chests and that He alone is worthy of all praise.
It was so, so simple. It was powerful, and encouraging, and convicting. In the absence of all the distractions and worldly comforts we busy ourselves with in America, these boys were just seeking the Lord. It was another reminder that following Him will mean laying down my right to be comfortable and in control.
It will mean serving Him in ways I never thought I would. It will mean teaching an art class to a bunch of 13 year old boys and knowing that this is where God wants to use me even if it's not how I wanted to be used. It will mean leading the boys through morning devotions in Ephesians and trusting that the seeds of the Gospel we plant will take root according to God's perfect will. It will mean helping a new teacher clean one of the filthiest houses I've ever seen and realizing that spreading the love of Jesus will require stepping into some pretty unlikely places.
Following Him will mean walking to the school each morning with no idea what to expect for the day but trusting that God has already prepared it in advance. It will mean walking into the unfamiliar territory that exists outside of my physical, mental, and spiritual comfort zones and knowing it is exactly where God wants me. I've realized time and time again that He doesn't need me to accomplish this work here, but in His abundant grace He has invited me into it. So what choice do I have but to follow wherever He leads?
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