Living outside your comfort zone

I have always loved baseball, couponing, a good Chicago hot dog and traditions with friends and family. I never knew exactly what it would feel like to no longer have those things tangibly in my life. Very quickly I became aware of the things that I never saw as blessings. In my comfort zone I was able to communicate fluently, know where things were located, know how to drive, buy groceries without wondering what I was purchasing, make a friend, read...

I love living in a foreign country. Spain is my home. But it all took time. You go from thinking you have life down pat, to basically knowing nothing and your kids correcting your sentences. (ie. The other day I told my son to throw himself in the the garbage, instead of discarding his trash.)

Witnessing to others is one of many difficulties I regularly encounter. You see, evangelism for me is a daily habit of befriending people at the store, the school, the park and my neighbours. Here, I am the foreigner, the minority, I am the newbie. What once was second nature and came with ease, now takes time and effort. Not to mention discipling someone takes time and a lot of patience on both our parts. I must go out of my way to share the Gospel and this may take years for someone to accept. It takes a friendship, which opens the door to talk about Christ. Being able to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ is worth more than any uncomfortableness I may be experiencing.

It is so easy to get comfortable in our world of Christianity and to not see the people around us. When we have friends from our Sunday School class, church activities, Christian school events it is easy to ignore those around us. May sharing the Gospel be something we talk about, a way of thinking, a way of living. Look at everyone with the intent of sharing the Gospel with them.

It was so easy for me to run into the grocery store as fast as I could, grab what I needed, and leave as quickly as possible. The man in the street selling tissue, it is more comfortable to look the other way and ignore him. Picking my kids up from school can easily become a 50 yard dash, as to not have to talk to anyone or make eye contact.

So we live in different countries, but the idea is still the same. Show the love of Christ to everyone you come in contact with, share Salvation found only in Jesus Christ and continue to train and mentor those that have trusted in Him. Today I challenge you to go outside your comfort zone, talk to someone new, befriend your neighbor, talk to the barista at Starbucks, or the coworker in the cubicle next to you. Living out the Gospel in our daily lives is how we are best able to spread the Love of Christ and His Word. Not everyone is supposed to go overseas…but you are still a missionary…so spread the Gospel where God has planted you.

Psalm 96:3 Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.