Have you ever really looked at the problem the Israelites had in the Old Testament?  They just didn’t FEEL like reaching for Jesus Christ…most of the time.  Remember all the opportunities the Lord gave them?  Remember how many times they were given still another chance?  Another lecture?  Another pleading?  They were pretty stubborn people.  My favorite story is Moses and the fiery flying serpents, because it never seizes to astonish me how stubborn they really were.  What would make you hide your eyes from even possibly looking upon the staff that would save your life?

Okay, I don’t mean to compare us to the Israelites, yet there may be some similarities. 

We all love our comfort zones.  Let’s not deny it.  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” can save us a lot of time, trouble and bother.  We have what we need, why spoil it?  Life is going well, why tempt…whomever? 

I’m going to offer a challenge.  Take it or leave it, but think about it.

Do something that puts you outside of your comfort zone.

Here are some ideas that might break “your zone”, if you are interested.

 (If you’re like me, you feel all brave, then chicken out at the last minute. But I have also experienced the elation felt in stretching myself and “doing it right”.)

• Take dinner to a family who could use it, but didn’t ask for it.
• Volunteer to have your Visiting Teaching list added to (maybe with some of the more difficult sisters to get a hold of), and be willing to make the huge effort to  contact.
• Offer to start a group for a RS activity, be in charge of it, set it up and carry it out.
• Volunteer to say the prayer, rather than waiting to be asked.
• Sit next to someone new and visit with them.
• Invite someone you don’t know very well to work on a project with you (church related or not).
• If you are in a leadership position, challenge your sisters to do something out of their comfort zones. Offer a non-typical, but meaningful activity. Go out of your way to discover, involve sisters, and fulfill, a specific need within your ward boundary.
• Find a new service project somewhere in town, other than the same old “easy” service projects you always rely on.

There are a million other ideas that could be added to this list.  Pick something different, do it, and share it with the rest of us.  We could all use some “feel-good motivation”.