Last night I did something I haven't done in a very long time. I sang solo. Yep, totally alone. I emphasize that because I have sang with a praise team, in the background recently. But there's something a whole lot scarier about me singing solo. I've never been very confident about my solo singing ability, but with recent health issues that affected me vocally, I have been even less confident. So for me to do this was a very big deal. I think it may have been less scary if I had a band up there with me. In the praise team I have always relied on a leader and the band to cover me if I messed up. That alone offered some comfort. But alone you have no covering. Your every flaw, your every mess up is yours and yours alone.

When I was asked to sing I must admit that I probably did it more to please my husband than because I wanted to do it. And while I don't generally advocate doing something to please people, I will say that sometimes me wanting to please people may work to my advantage. In fact, it may be the catalyst to get me to step out and do what God wants me to do-if that makes any sense. As I stepped up to sing, the nerves were going crazy. I kind of felt like a deer in the headlights. Like, "what am I going to do now?" Normally, I would have someone with me that could help to ease my nervousness. But I didn't have my usual cheerleaders with me. No husband to look to, no close personal friends. I was out there on my own. My only option was to sing. And to sing in a state of discomfort.

Stepping out of our comfort zone can be extremely difficult. But staying in the comfort zone can be damaging. It can keep us held in bondage to fear. It can lead to a state of complacency and stagnancy that will effect you spiritually. Have you ever seen a pond or lake where the water wasn't freely flowing? Bacteria and algae can build up and that can cause major problems and put people at risk if they swim there. It can also breed mosquitoes, which carry disease. So how am I relating this to stepping out of our comfort zone? Well, when we get this false sense of security by staying in a certain situation (stagnant), it can lead us to a place where our trust of God is in question. Our fear of the unknown overshadows our confidence in God. If we can't trust him to meet us in those situations where we must step out of what is comfortable, how can we trust him in other areas? This is like a bacteria that grows. The more it spreads, the more it effects our lives and spiritual health. God never said that following Him would be easy. In fact, it may even be life threatening. Look at those men in the Bible who suffered greatly, even to the point of death doing what God called them to do. I am certain that wasn't in their comfort zone. But their desire to please God and do His will outweighed any fear for their own safety.

I won't lie and say that I thought my singing was as good as it ever has been. But I took the leap of faith and stepped out and did it afraid. I trusted God to get me through it. And He did.