Comfort zones...

We hiked for what seemed like FOREVER. Side note, I. Do.Not. Like. Hiking. Take me to the mall. I find joy there. So when my brother in law Mario, outdoor man extraordinaire, told my parents and I we were gonna go on a 8 hour hike. In the snow. 8 HOUR HIKE!! I wasn't thrilled. AND, not to mention it was 30 degrees! Umm, I'm from Southern California. When it gets 70 degrees I'm ready to bust out my boots and blast up the heater. I wanted to quit the first hour into the hike because I could have sworn my left toe was getting frost bite. It was a total toe crisis! Fr'reals. I know next time Mario takes me and my family somewhere, I definitely should invest in some hiking boots. I hope they make cute ones. Like in pink or something.


Our goal? To get to the infamous  "Subway," a beautiful scenic world wonder found in Zion National Park in Utah. If you know my brother in law, you know, well, that he's carayzayyy. If there was an award for the most wildest, adventurous, I will jump off of the highest cliff just to prove that I'm crazy, award, he would win it. By far. Unfortunately, to his dismay, we didn't make it to the "Subway." We turned back about 5 hours into the hike. I promise that it had nothing to do with my complaining. Or my almost purple left toe. And just to point out, my sis and mom didn't put on a happy face on either. So don't be judging aiight. And even though we didn't make it all the way, it was surely an adventure. For me at least. The only adventures I go on are the ones where I get lost trying to find someone's house. With directions. One out of my 875,098 flaws, is my love for comfort zones. I'm not a fan of trying new things. Especially when it means hiking a gazzilion feet mountain. Just ask my best friend Pam who desperately hates it when I always order the same thing when we go out to eat. Anywhere. When she took me to an Indian restaurant, I ended up ordering chicken and rice because it was the only thing I recognized on the menu. Even though she begged me to try chicken takamasala. Or something like that. Nope. I felt safe with my chicken and rice. Feeling safe is one of the reasons why I back out on so many opportunities that may bring change. But that's the thing, I don't like change. I'm afraid of change. But I acknowledge I need it. Change in my character, my habits, my attitude, my decisions making.

When my world is pulled under my feet and I recognize things in my life have to change, I freak out. I ignore change. I fight it. Order and routine are my comfy pillows I like to hold on to. It is my comfort zone that I allow to prohibit me from spreading the Gospel the way Christ desires me to. My comfortable world, at times, imprisons my capability of living out my faith in a radical, life changing way the way the disciples so boldly lived out theirs. So please keep me in your prayers. I want my life to be the sole image of Jesus, even if that means stepping out of my comfort box I bubble myself in, or sacrificing the very things in my life I cherish dearly. But I'll be honest and in all weakness confess that submitting my control freak lifestyle to the authority of God is hard. Really hard. However, I know with all my heart, it is worth it if I wish to follow Him.

So if your in the same boat as I am check out these verses, which are a constant reminder of what it really means to follow Christ.
*Philippians 3:7-9
*Luke 9:23-24
*Luke 14:25-27
(I'll just go right ahead and say it....WORD, AMEN, HALLELUJAH, Can I get a witness up in hea!!)

Following Jesus requires ultimate submission to the authority of God, sacrifice of things we love, passion, death to the flesh, and obedience. Which means I gotta let go of my comfort zones. Ay. And if your like me, so do you. Don't lie. All of these attributes go against our sinful nature that is in constant battle with the spirit so make sure you feed your spirit daily with the word. Then again, Jesus never said being His follower would be a walk in the park, however, He did promise it would be rewarding. :)


P.S. I realize this is a long post. My bad. I just like to get deep sometimes. lol