Are You Tired Yet?

Today I took my dog Lucky out for a walk, and afterwards I took him to play a game of fetch because he loves to chase a ball and return it to me. My dog is constantly bringing me the ball. But then I noticed something as he was turning to run back to me, he went past me and didn't give me the ball. Now, there are some days my dog loves to pick up and carry the ball, and has no interest in sharing it, but this time he was still chasing the ball and bringing it back to me (after resting a while) LOL. While I praised him with each step he took toward catching the ball, I asked the question, are you tired yet? Because I was tired of throwing the ball. While I have become accustomed to having a high energy dog that likes to play a lot, I was tired but he wasn't.
 

Question, do you ever get tired? I don't know about you, but I do, and I know I'm not the only one. We all get tired. Some of you reading this post might feel this way right now. I'm not just talking mentally, physically, or emotionally. But if you are, Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

Being tired goes further than mentally, physically, or emotionally. Perhaps you are tired spiritually. You may get tired of reading your Bible daily, praying, defending your faith, or just trying to live right. But while there are times we experience being tired in our spiritual life, the apostle Paul says tells us in Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This verse simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! But the only way to regain strength is to rest. Just like Lucky, after he rested, he regained his strength and returned to the game of fetch. FYI, just because we’re tired, doesn’t mean we’re finished. “Those who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

 

In conclusion, its not a bad thing to be tired, and we all get tired spiritually from time to time, but don't give up! That's what the enemy wants you to do. If there's one thing I know about my dog when playing the game of fetch, he tends to push himself more then he should, even after he's exhausted all his strength. But despite his exhaustion, he regains his strength. I said that to say, despite our exhaustion, the Lord continues to give us strength when we admit we are in need of His strength. We may be tired, but no matter how tired you are, let us not get spiritually tired. Hang in there!  

 

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Philippians 4:13

Daring to try new things!

So yes, I've just checked my blog and was quite shocked to see that my last blog post was almost a year ago! Goodness me! What have I been doing? In my defense, I have been really busy with various responsibilities, working hard behind the scenes. But I'm back in the blogging game!

Yesterday I went to the salon to get my hair done. Before going, and while I was there, I was thinking about getting my hair cut because I was bored with my current style. However, I was reluctant to try something new, a haircut. While sitting in the chair, at some point, I was going to have to make a decision. Then I heard my hairdresser say how I need to move out of my comfort zone. But she wasn't just talking about me moving out of my comfort zone in my hair style journey. She was talking about the spiritual journey too. As I was at the salon, we were having a conversation, and I was telling her about a scripture I read in Genesis 12:1-2 where God calls Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the land of promise. Genesis 12:1-2: "The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing"

I confess, I'm a comfy girl at heart. I like my comfort zone.... and it's scary when you are told to get outside of your comfort zone, but leaving our comfort zones is a necessary part of life. God calls us to grow! Here's an example. At the age of 27, I finally moved out of my parents' house and got a place on my own. Moving out of my parents' house was a big step, and I must say, leaving out of the comfort zone of home and family wasn't easy, but by leaving, I was finally living the life I was meant to live. Another example was when I left Birmingham for a college away from home, a couple hours away in a different city. This was an opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone and find out who I really was and who I wanted to be. As you can see, there are times when God calls us to take a step of faith. Hebrews 11:1 reads, Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, the  conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

As you can see, Abraham left. Genesis 1:4 reads; “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.” We see here that Abraham stepped out on faith. And in order to follow God's leading, he had to move outside his comfort zone. He left the familiar and embraced the unfamiliar. He left the comfortable and embraced uncomfortable. When I told my hairdresser about my church, and the desire to start a ministry, and how I was led to Genesis 12, she told me I needed to pray and fast. In regards to my spiritual journey, I have to step out on faith and leave my comfort zone and go out and do what God has for me to do. Here's the thing, God will not keep us in the same place forever. He wants us to move on in our spiritual walk. He wants to educate us in His ways and use us where He leads us. As I stated earlier in this post, God calls us to grow...and with that being said, there comes a time in all our lives when we must grow up in the Lord.

In conclusion, leaving the comfort zone is never easy and if it was easy to leave, then it wasn't a comfort zone to begin with. God leaves us in the comfort zone only for a time so that we can prepare for the next season of growth. Unlike Abraham, you may not be going to a new place geographically, but it may be at a new place personally. Or maybe it could be something simpler than that.

As you can see, I left my comfort zone on the hairstyle journey, lol. But now its time to step out on faith in the spiritual journey.

 

So, what is your comfort zone?