It makes me feel a little better that a healthy eater like you would still think of brownies and chocolate. 😉 #3 is me also! I’ve had to step out of that comfort zone multiple times this year though. Since my daughter had her baby in January, I have spent a LOT of nights at her house to help with the baby. But at least it is my daughter. And my granddaughter is there! 🙂 It’s easier to stay there than just a friend’s house. Still, I chalk it up to the Lord for my ability to do it. I didn’t know I had it in me. ha. (But again, the granddaughter is there so that explains a lot! lol)

As a fellow introvert, I totally hear you, Linda! I’m usually content staying in my ruts. 🙂

Unfortunately all my comfort foods tend to be unhealthy too. I think it’s awesome that you were the first person in your family to go to college AND to go out of state. I went to college in my hometown and didn’t even consider going elsewhere. Good for you in taking over when the ladies’ coordinator left. 9 years is a long time to do something that’s not super comfortable. There was a season that I was the children’s preschool coordinator at my church, which was not my thing. I committed (in my head) for a year, but ended up doing it for three years, which seemed like an eternity. ha. After that, I had to resign and let someone else take over. 🙂

Your caregiving is SUCH a huge thing, Barbara. I’m always encouraged by your willingness and ability to care for your m-i-l in your home. Such love and such sacrifice.

I was practically born to see M&Ms as a comfort food, unfortunately. ha. A friend at church used to help my mom with all the kids when we were small, and she’d hold me and feed me M&Ms. So they tell me anyway. 🙂 All I know is I do love them still.

Kudos to you for leading worship, Jerralea! That would be WAY out of my comfort zone, too. It’s all I can do to be in the choir. I’ve often thought about quitting because sometimes I feel awkward being out front as I’m worshiping, when I’d rather be in the dark in a pew. But for now, the Lord keeps prompting me to stay in that ministry so I am. He always has his reasons, right? 🙂

The Lord led me to this series very late in the game, like the day before we were supposed to start. ha. About a month previous I had been planning on writing about how to read more, but then as it got closer, I decided not to write a series at all. Then when I read it would be the last year for #write31days, I decided to jump in.

I wish I wasn’t prone to turn to food. 🙁 Unfortunately I am. I can see that you would be one that women would turn to for comfort. That speaks of your wisdom, Pam.

You have definitely had lots of huge leaps out of your comfort zone! What a blessing you’ve been in each new area, I’m sure.

Stepping out of my comfort zone is always a huge decision. As an introvert, I find it can be quite difficult. I tend to lean into the tried and true. And in answer to question #1, chocolate works just fine.

What I’ve missed along the way …

2) Not to sound cliche, as Pam said, or overly pious, but most often I search for comfort from God through His Word. Sometimes I think my husband won’t understand certain things, because we think differently and he’s not bothered by some of the same things I am. But when I do share with him, he has surprised me often by understanding and having insightful things to say. I have a couple of friends with whom I could share most anything.

3) Being the first person in my family to go to college, and out of state at that (I know thousands of people do that every year, but it was a Really Big Deal to me at the time). Heading up one aspect of a ladies’ group in one church and heading up the ladies’ group in another church. In the latter, I was an unofficial assistant to the ladies’ ministry coordinator, and very happy doing that. I didn’t consider myself a leader. When she left, I was asked to take over. I have felt more free to say no to some things over the years, but I just didn’t feel I should say no to that, plus I had some ideas brewing for the group. I think I led that group for 9 years, and it was definitely stretching time and cast me on the Lord for help many times over. But it was a season of growth as well. The church we attended after we moved already had several people helping with the ladies’ group. I probably could have asked to help and would have been welcomed, but we lived farther away from the church, plus within just a few years had my m-i-l move in with us. Our current church is too small to have a ladies’ group per se, though the ladies do get together every other month. And, of course, as you’ve heard from me many times before, caregiving is about the most out-of-my-comfort-zone thing I have ever done.

1. Unfortunately, a lot of foods comfort me! Any kind of soup when I’m feeling cold and gray will make me feel better. If I’m needing to mindlessly munch, M&Ms are my go-to. (At least I measure how many I can have!)

2. The person who comforts me the most is my husband. I also have a good close girlfriend to vent to!

3. When has God called me out of my comfort zone? A better question is, when has He not? 🙂 Seriously, though, the hardest thing He asks me to do is lead worship. I try my best to get out of it because although I love worshiping, I don’t want to be the leader. We do have someone who is the main worship leader – but he is called out of town a lot and I have to fill in. I’m trying to remind myself I “get” to fill in. Doing anything for the Lord is a privilege, even if it is not your calling or the talent you feel you can be your best.

1) I am not prone to look to food for comfort, but I would guess the likely choices for this would be a cup of some of the special teas I have, an exceptional cup of coffee, or fresh roasted cashews from a local nut shop that I can’t stop eating if they arrive in the house.

2) Though it may sound cliche, the Lord is first on the list followed by my husband. I have had female friends at different seasons who have done that, but no one constant. (Truth is that of the women I connect with, I am seen as the one to go to for comfort.)

3) There are several that are big for me: a) starting graduate school while teaching full-time in my early 40’s; b) leaving a secure tenured teaching position when I finished graduate school and joining a Christian private practice as a Licensed Professional Supervising Clinical Counselor; c) after enjoying private practice and doing well with it, leaving it to join the staff of the predominately African-American church we had already been a part of for 8 years; and d) taking the leap of starting a website and writing after retirement and then authoring a book. Each one stretched me when I was full of self-doubt and that stretching grew my faith and trust in hearing the Lord’s voice. (I skipped several other things that happened prior to when I was teaching?)