“I need to get out of my comfort zone” or even worse “They need to get out of their comfort zones” – those phrases have always, sometimes irrationally, wound me up. The first as I’ve always found myself thinking “well do it then”, the second as it has always appeared judgemental and holier-than-thou and yet the past year or so I have found myself increasingly challenging myself with the uncomfortable. Making myself ask questions that can give me headaches.
There’s always need for caution though. I don’t want to walk the path that is lined with fluffy thought clouds and warm fuzzys, but I think there can also be a real danger in challenging yourself too much. Overthinking can lead to less faith, more logic (not necessarily more truth though!) and would probably turn me into a completely paranoid conspiracy nut who wouldn’t believe in anything – in fact I’d probably end up questioning it was raining whilst being stood outside getting soaked!
So why am I sharing these somewhat jumbled thoughts?
I’m going through one of those challenging times, when I’m feeling an inner conflict as I weigh up some questions and attitudes that I have or have seen in people I look up to. I think the biggest challenge is the hypocrisy of holding others to a higher standard than the one to which I live personally and putting a mirror up to my own life.
Another thing that has really hit me quite hard is seeing one of my Christian rock idols in a very weird place. Whilst his bandmates have moved on and grown as role models, he has gone into a very confused and strange place. I saw him perform at a music festival on TV the other year and I was shocked by what I saw, and when I looked him up the other day it really upset me. This was/is someone who really helped a generation of young Christians find their identity in Christ – and yet he appears to have lost his.
I’m not judging, or at least I am trying to avoid judging but I’ve found that this fractured hero has really added to my own conflict and also seems to be a warning light over wandering too far out of the comfort zones.
Christ never promised us an easy journey, and we should never cease in our pursuit to understand Gods word, His Love, His heart and all that He has for us and others – even when that does mean questioning our own prejudices and judgmental attitudes. However, we should never forget that He gives us a “peace that surpasses all understanding”
Conflict isn’t always bad, comfort-zones sometimes need to be left, and we are all fractured – even our heroes and role models. The thing we always need to ensure is that we always return to Gods word, to His truth and never letting go of the Peace that His Love brings.