Comfort Zone: Debunking the Safety Myth and Defeating Fear

It was the same workout I did a couple days every week. But this time, something went wrong.

I jumped in the air and came down. A snap cracked the air as my ankle folded under me and I fell to the floor. Searing pain overtook my foot, ankle, and leg, throbbing so much I yelled from the pain.

Was my foot broken? As I forced myself to breathe and hefted myself onto the nearby sofa, I worked up the courage to look at my ankle and foot.

No bones stuck out as the crunch and severe pain had led me to believe might be possible. After the pain subsided, I tested the mobility of the ankle and confirmed there was no break.

But I’d sustained a sprain that would be bad enough to limit my activity and even my walking for over two weeks.

Later that day, I thought with amazement about how quickly my life had changed. That morning, I’d been perfectly healthy and fine, going about my normal routine. Then, in the safety and comfort of my own home, disaster struck.

In the blink of an eye, I sustained a severe injury. But I hadn’t done anything risky or adventurous. I hadn’t done anything foolish or even different from what I did every week.

I am not a brave person. My idea of adventure is trying a new restaurant (which I’m proud to say I love to do, by the way). If you’ve read this blog long enough, you know I struggle with fear. And, often, those fears keep me home where I’m safe and secure. They keep me in my pattern of habits and routines with no desire for change that might push me out of my comfort zone or put me in danger.

But the pop in my ankle was like a pop of my safety balloon. Because that’s all it was. A balloon-like myth.

I’m not safe and completely protected from any harm at home. I’m not safe from danger if I stick with my usual routine. I only imagine I am.

The comfort of the familiar and easy allows me to live under an illusion of safety and security. It allows me to live with the belief that I have things under control and don’t need a protector because I’ve got the risk factor eliminated.

All of us live under this illusion to some degree or another. Parents, first-timers especially, sometimes go overboard to cushion and protect their child from every conceivable threat of injury or illness. People with phobias and known fears live their lives avoiding the trigger so they can feel safe and comfortable. Some people would rather drive than fly because having their fate in another person’s (the pilot’s) hands makes them nervous.

But each of these examples reveals an illusion we’re living with. The truth is we can’t fully protect anyone from injury or illness. The reality is that we can never avoid everything that scares us and we are allowing fear to wield control over our lives if we try.

The truth is that our fate is always in another Person’s hands. That’s what spraining my ankle reminded me of.

I may think I’m safe in the comfort of my own home, but I’m no safer there than anywhere else. Here’s the good news, though.

I am safe in my home. I’m safe outside my home, too. But not because of any manmade protections or delusions about my own precautions and abilities. I’m safe because my fate is always in God’s hands.

That doesn’t mean I won’t sprain my ankle or get hurt in other ways. That doesn’t even mean we won’t die or see the earthly death of others we care about. But it does mean that everything that comes our way is from our Father.

It means that, no matter what happens, everything that happens to us, no matter how hard it may seem at the time, will be used for good (Rom. 8:28).

We have so many promises from the Lord that assure us, above all, our souls and eternal destiny are perfectly, infallibly safe with Him.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. – John 10:28-29

And our Father also promises to protect us and sustain us in our earthly lives in passages like this favorite of mine:

…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

God tells us to live wisely, to make godly choices for ourselves and those in our care, which includes guarding their safety. So I’m not advocating putting your life on the line for a pointless stunt or self-serving adventure.

But if fear of danger or risk is keeping us from doing something God wants us to do, from doing something for His glory and His Kingdom, then we’re in trouble. Then we’ve let our illusion that we are safe in our comfort zone take over our lives and replace the truth.

The truth, though, is so much greater.

I’m not perfect. I mess up. I fail. I don’t foresee every possibility. Sometimes I land wrong and hurt myself.

But God never messes up. He never fails. He can always foresee every possibility and, what’s more, every detail is already decided and completely under His control.

Best of all, our God Who is in control is always merciful and loving toward His chosen children. My injury reminded me of how many times in every day God is keeping me from getting hurt, physically and emotionally.

I cannot even fathom how many times He’s holding back the damage, the carnage that could ensue if my merciful Father were not supplying my every breath and managing every detail of life and the world around me so that only what He desires for me comes to pass.

That’s real comfort. That’s real safety.

So once my ankle heals, I’m going to put my best (healed) foot forward and step out into what God has called me to do, no matter how scary it seems. Because I know I am safe in His everlasting arms.

Do you choose perceived safety over a risk God may want you to take? Have you ever overcome your fears or left your comfort zone to follow God’s call? Please share!