Life in 'the Growth Zone'

From Pastor Gene:

"When I was a kid I slipped with an X-Acto knife and cut my hand between the thumb and index finger.  The blood spurted 3 feet with each beat of my heart, and I panicked, running around the house screaming, until my Dad caught me, put pressure on the wound, and got me in the car to go to the hospital.  When I cut my hand, I experienced "The Panic Zone"-when what is going on around us is too much for us to handle.

Most of us would much prefer to be in "The Comfort Zone"-in situations in which we are at home, at ease, where we can relax and are generally free of pressure.  This may be at home, or at work, or with certain close friends. The problem with the Comfort Zone is that many people have made it their goal in life-to create a cushion of comfort around themselves, to avoid risk and challenge.

But as followers of Jesus Christ, we are often called out of the Comfort Zone, into "The Growth Zone."  We enter The Growth Zone when we face a situation, a relationship, or an experience that involves risk or challenge. Sometimes we choose The Growth Zone, sometimes it chooses us!  The key is that we respond by asking the question, "God, what do you want to teach me in this place, in these circumstances, through these people?"

Jesus calls His followers out of The Comfort Zone, into The Growth Zone because, although He loves us just as we are, He loves us too much to leave us as we are!  Living the adventure of following Jesus Christ often means stepping out of The Comfort Zone and in The Growth Zone."

Want to hear more?  Listening link: "The Growth Zone".