Last weekend my family headed up to Lubbock for my brother’s graduation from Texas Tech. Because we are scattered across different parts of DFW and all had different obligations that caused us to all have to arrive and leave at different times we ended all driving separately and all bringing our dogs for the weekend.
My dog and my parents’ dog are about as low maintenance as they come. But that’s not the case when it comes to my sisters 1-year old mini schnauzer named Chester. Chester needs attention constantly and always seems to have a problem with something.
The problem that weekend was the flooring in my brothers house. The whole house has hardwood floors and since my brother has halfway moved out- no rugs. Chester wasn’t a fan.
When we would set him on the wood floor he would freeze and then start crying till someone came and picked him up.
We finally laid a blanket on the floor in the living room to create a 6x6 space where Chester could walk around without having to step onto the wood floors. But when everyone left the room or there was a toy on the floor that Chester wanted, he would inch towards the edge of the blanket, then step off with his front legs and stretch as far as he could without letting his back feet leave the blanket.
It was odd behavior that was both funny and confusing. But I think it also provides a great metaphor for the way many of us behave in and around our comfort zones. Pick a character in the Bible- God rarely speaks to people inside their comfort zone, and definitely doesn’t let them stay there.
I think oftentimes we want the benefits of stepping out of our comfort zone while also wanting to keep one foot in our comfort zone. But when God calls us to leave our comfort zone, no matter what that looks like for each different person, we cannot be fully obedient or experience the growth that comes with it if we don’t step off with both feet.
Written By: Jason Ivie