Now Leaving the Comfort Zone.

There's a blood drive going on in the basement of the church today, and I forgot to sign up. I trudged downstairs and put my name on the list. I will now be thinking about donating blood for the next 24 hours until it's over. I go through this ever time I donate. Needles freak me out. My veins are tiny and they tend to roll. Donating blood, 95% of the time, is a slow and frustrating process for me. My week would be immensely better if I didn't have to donate blood.

So why do I put myself through it? Simply because my temporary discomfort is infinitesimal compared to what the person receiving my blood is going through.

As our mission trip approaches this year, I've been witnessing the discomfort of both parents and youth in our county. We'll be departing for Pine Ridge, South Dakota in a little over a week. While there's excitement buzzing about, there are also some very apparent nerves. Will we be safe? What does the shower situation look like? Where are we sleeping? What kind of food will we be eating? I cannot place these questions solely on others. They have been swirling in my mind as well, along with some more specific worries. How will Jim handle being a "single dad" for a week? Will I be able to pump enough to keep up my milk supply? If we took a minute to really talk about it, you'd be surprised at how much worry (along with joy!) there is when we leave our comfort zone.

That's how we live, isn't it? We live in our box of expectations. We unpack our lives into these tiny little comfort zones because they keep us safe. They keep us happy. They allow us to avoid discomfort...at all costs.

What if we looked around to realize that maybe, just maybe, our discomfort can allow others to succeed? On this upcoming trip to Pine Ridge, there is a pretty good chance that we will find ourselves uncomfortable. It might get too hot, the bus might be cramped, the days might be long, and the showers may be short. However all of that will pale in comparison to the work we will be doing. This is true in all aspects of life. We shouldn't be focused on the hardships we are facing, but the rewards that may come when they are finished.

Our boxes are comfortable. We can ask a million questions, read a million articles/blogs/books, and worry until we are sick. Truthfully, nothing will fully prepare you for what is going to happen once you're out of that box. The beauty of stepping into the unknown is the fact that it is unknown. We benefit greatly when we learn from experience. We should benefit spiritually when we help others - comfortable or not.

Donate blood. Do mission work in unknown places. Mow someone's yard for them on a really hot day. Shovel snow for them when it's thirty below. And as always...