I stood on the shore of the Nile River, took one look at the raging rapids before us and said to my husband, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this rafting trip.”

He smiled and assured me that the rafting company we were going with had seen no injuries or fatalities on their rafting trips. This did not reassure me.

His enthusiasm was contagious though and before I knew it, I was sitting in a raft with a handful of other brave souls, pushing away from the shoreline and into the rapids ahead.

I prayed hard. “Dear God, please keep us safe. Please keep me from dying. Please – OHHH!” I yelled as the first rapid hit. I’ve done a lot of rafting trips in my time, but none was like this one. The rapids were up to class 4 and after surviving several of them, our guide steered us back to the shore for a moment.

“Ok,” he said, “We’re coming to a group of rapids we call ‘The Bad Place’. If you go, you’re going to get thrown out of the boat and be pushed under the water for a few seconds. Don’t panic though (!!!) because you’ll pop back out quickly and it will be awesome! What do you think? Are you guys in??”

It must have been peer pressure because we all nodded a tentative yes and climbed back into the boat to face “The Bad Place.” Everything our guide said would happen happened.

I was thrown out of the boat and forced under water. I told myself not to panic while I was actually panicking the whole time. Eventually the hydrolic nature of the water shot me back up to the surface and I was able to float steadily towards the shore, where I grabbed the ground like I had just swum the English Channel.

Saying “Yes” in the Face of Fear

My mom described me as a “fearless child” who would try anything. But all of us (even the “fearless” ones) have comfort zones, and that trip down the Nile definitely breached mine!

Your comfort zone is that place that you understand. You know how to navigate it, manage it, and keep it within your control (or your perceived sense of control).

You know you are coming up to the border of one of your comfort zones when thoughts like these go through your mind:

“That’s too hard for me.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I’ve never done ________ before. I’m sure I shouldn’t try now.”
“If I do that, ___________(insert fear) will happen.”

God has a way of beckoning to us to step beyond our comfort zones into new places of growth and exploration, because we can’t grow much when we aren’t stretched, can we?

Boundaries are good. They keep us healthy and sane. But sometimes, our boundaries can become walls that shut out people, God, and adventures in life.

Stepping Out in Faith

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

If you feel God is calling you to step out into something new, ask Him to lead your steps and increase your faith to take that step forward.

Overcoming a fear often leads to a wonderful life experience.
We may start out tentatively but before long, we may very well find ourselves in a whole new comfort zone doing something we previously thought was impossible for us!