Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
I wonder what adventure lies just outside your door?
The Hobbit has just been released in the movies and it is breaking box office records. It connects with something deep within all of us.
A desire for adventure, for good winning over evil, and for the little guy being the hero.
Is there an adventure beckoning within you?
I have known very few people who truly step outside the door of the Hobbit Hole of their own comfort. Even those who know they need to change still remain in their comfort zone. There is an addiction to the comfort of the familiar. They may whinge, moan, and complain about their situation, but take action? Never.
Will the next week, month or year be the same as the last?
What dreams has God sown in you that need to be woken up and explored?
There once lived a man who never risked.
He never tried, He never laughed, He never cried.
Then one day, when he passed away, His insurance was denied.
They said since he never lived, Then he never really died. (Anon)
Three steps to leave the comfort zone
1. Connect with the Comfort.
Recognise the comfortable world you have made. You may well say that it is not comfortable, that is full of pain and struggle. Even so, we like our world because it is familiar. An example. Someone stays in a job they hate, moan and complain about because it is familiar, and therefore comfortable.
Bilbo Baggins had his Hobbit Hole perfectly arranged, just the way he wanted it, but there was something deep with him that lay unfulfilled. A desire to make a difference.
2. Connect with the ‘Little people’
A familiar storytelling theme is to take a ‘Little person’ and have them shake the world. Braveheart, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Kings Speech, all tell stories of ‘Little’ people doing great things. These stories connect deeply with us because they give us all a sense of hope that we too can change the world.
The Bible tells stories of other ‘Little’ people. Moses in the Desert, Gideon in a Winepress, Mary a pregnant teenager, and Peter a fisherman.
We don’t need to have all the qualifications, money, experience etc.
All we need to have is an answer of ‘Yes’ to the call of need. (Like that? Tweet it)
Read the stories, watch the movies, and inspire the heart.
The Scripture emphasizes that much can come from little if the little is truly consecrated to God. There are no little people and no big people in the true spiritual sense, but only consecrated and unconsecrated people. The problem for each of us is applying this truth to ourselves. Francis A. Schaeffer
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean will be less because of that missing drop. Mother Teresa
3. Connect with Courage
As you have connected with your comfort and felt the warmth of the fire from camping far too long in one place.
As you have connected with those brave ‘Little’ people, much like yourself, being full of fears and questions.
Then it is now time to step outside. You need to connect with courage knowing you are not alone. Go on, you can do it, make the first step. Sign up for that course, form a new habit, challenge that fear.
One faltering but actual step is more valuable than any number of journeys performed in the imagination. Brennan Manning.
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men to win them. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Questions to consider and leave a comment
- What do we tolerate in our lives because we are comfortable?
- How would the next week, month, year look if you were to step outside of what is comfortable?
- What adventure is God calling you to?
Barry Pearman
