Episode 24: Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable - Part 3

In Episode 24 of Faith Meets Academia, I dive into the final part of the "Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable" series. I share three powerful principles that have guided my journey of breaking free from comfort zones: "My purpose is greater than my preference," "My ability is greater than my assignment," and "My growth is greater than my comfort." Through personal experiences, scripture, and reflection, I encourage you to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, aligning your life with God's purpose.

As you listen, consider these questions:

• What comfort zone is holding me back from fulfilling my purpose?
• How can I apply these principles to take the next bold step in my faith and professional journey?
• Where in my life do I need to prioritize growth over comfort?

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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely my own and do not reflect or represent the positions, policies, or opinions of my employer, any organization or academic institution with which I am affiliated. This podcast is a personal initiative, and is not connected to my official/ formal duties and responsibilities as a university professor.

Transcript

Hey fam, I hope your day is going well. I hope your week is going great. I'm so delighted you've joined me for Episode 24: Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, Part Three. Now, like I mentioned in Episode Two, I really never intended to do a three-part series on this topic. However, because of your feedback—your invaluable feedback, and you know who you are—you’ve been absolutely motivating. So, here we are on Part Three.

As you may recall in Episode 23, which was Part Two of this series, I introduced you to three key scientific concepts through practical, real-life illustrations that explain why every so often we avoid uncomfortable experiences, conversations, tasks—you name it—things that can ultimately lead to personal growth. The concepts I introduced were Self-Worth Theory, Comfort Zone Bias, and Loss Aversion.

Today, I'll share three key principles that I've learned through my life experiences and have used to break free from my own comfort zones. I'm certain you can use these principles, these techniques, to break through any comfort zone you’ve found yourself stuck in.

All right, what are these principles? 

1. My purpose is greater than my preference.

2. My ability is greater than my assignment.

3. My growth is greater than my comfort.

All right, so let's talk. John Dewey, a prominent American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, once said this: "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."

In my reflections on a number of experiences over the course of my life, I was able to identify the driving force behind some of the comfort zones that I broke free from. Hence, these three key principles. You should never underestimate the power of critical self-reflection.

And that's why Philippians 4:8 is one of my favorite scriptures. It says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Let's get deeper into this, and we're going to begin with the first principle: My purpose is greater than my preference. Say that with me: My purpose is greater than my preference. Amen.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) states, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." So yes, despite our plans, our preferences in any aspect of our lives—our careers, our relationships, our academic aspirations—it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. I mean, that's why we pray, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

What am I saying here? Our preferences, our plans, our choices, life decisions must be anchored in God's divine purpose or will for our lives. My plans, you see, must align with His purpose for me. It's the purpose that drives or motivates the preference. That's why my purpose, in other words, His will for me, is greater than my preference.

I know He has a purpose for all of us because His word declares that. Let's check out Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." What an assurance!

I've realized that while we pray for guidance and craft all our backup plans—you know, Plans A, B, C, D, and all the rest of it—we must acknowledge the preeminence of God's will. Here's what James 4:13-15 tells us: "Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’"

When we allow God's will to prevail, no comfort zone can hold us back from reaping the blessings of His promises. Jesus Himself recognized that His purpose was greater than His preference. You may remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He faced the immense weight and agony and suffering of the cross, He prayed and said, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Even though His human preference was to avoid the pain and suffering, He ultimately submitted to the will of God, understanding that His purpose—to bring salvation to humanity, to die for the sins of the world—was far greater than His personal desire for relief from the sufferings of that cross.

Now, you might be wondering, "How do I know what the will of God is?" While this question might be somewhat beyond the scope of this specific episode, I'd like to share a few thoughts on the matter because it's something that we all think of every now and then at different points in our lives.

Let's look at what 2 Peter 3:9 tells us: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

"Slack" in this context simply means negligent. This verse reassures us that God's will, at its core, is for us to come to repentance and live in alignment with His promises. He desires that none of us should perish. This foundation of His will is centered on His love and patience toward us.

And just to expand a little bit on this theme of love as the cornerstone of the practice of our faith, here's what Jesus says in Mark 12:30-31: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

This tells us that God's will is fundamentally rooted in love—love for Him and love for others. To sum it all up, Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all." The King James Version says, "This is the whole duty of man."

The Bible emphasizes that our ultimate duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. This, in essence, is the will of God for our lives—to live in reverence to Him and to follow His ways. God often moves through people or experiences in our lives to confirm His will for us. Sometimes, when we're seeking guidance, He provides that confirmation in some unexpected ways.

Have you ever experienced hearing a sermon, a song, or a testimony that directly addresses what you've been wrestling with, offering the exact clarity you needed? These moments are like gentle reminders from God, showing us that He's actively involved in our journey, helping us find direction even when we least expect it—even where we least expect it—even from whom we least expect it.

If we truly believe that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose, then our eyes will always be watchful and our ears attentive for these kinds of confirmations.

Let me take a minute to share a few personal experiences here that have taught me this lesson: My purpose is greater than my preference. I do not like flying. I would prefer to never have to board a plane to go anywhere. In fact, I probably pray the most when I'm on an airplane. No laugh, no laugh. Yeah, when that turbulence hits, you better believe I'm holding on tight to my seat—even with my clergy collar on. Sometimes I think to myself, "Man, these people must be looking at me like, ‘Where is your faith, Reverend?’"

I am very much unlike my wife in this regard—she actually loves flying. Not me, not me. But hear this, would you believe that last year I had four domestic and four international trips, totaling over 46,000 miles? Yeah, you heard right—46,000 travel miles.

Now, only one of these trips was for vacation. Two were for funerals, unfortunately; two were for speaking engagements; one was for a church conference; and two were for missionary work over in Mozambique. Of course, I had to throw that in.

Yeah, 46,000 miles—I did the math. And I dislike flying. Yeah, I do. And by the way, this is not about, "Well, yeah, it was easy for you to fly 46,000 miles because you can afford to fly 46,000 miles." Not the case. It did take a lot of financial sacrifice to do the work that God has ordained me to do.

Furthermore, I do know people who can afford it, but they have somewhat vowed to never spend 15 or 16 hours flying in an airplane because, I guess, their preference takes precedence over their purpose. And I guess that's okay—that's their choice. That's how they choose to live.

But it's my purpose of service to humanity and the principle of loving my neighbor as myself that took me to Mozambique twice last year. I actually got sick in mid-flight on my second trip to Mozambique—no one knew, no one at all, until I got back to the States. And while there, I had to write my dad's obituary, you know, who had passed away right before I left.

But the mission was still accomplished because the plans I had were aligned, I believe, with God's will. Yes, after losing my dad, I could have stayed in the comfort zone of not flying 16,000 miles round trip, but it's my purpose that prevailed, and I'm glad it did. It was the trip of a lifetime, despite my own grief.

Yeah, so there was no cognitive dissonance for me. I wasn't torn between going to Mozambique and staying in the comfort of my own home because my choice is to live by the principle that my purpose is greater than my preference. Now let's move on to the second principle: My ability is greater than my assignment.

Have you ever been assigned a project or task or hired for a job that had you thinking, "Huh, did they pick the right person? Am I really cut out for this? Aren't there other folks who can do this job even more effectively than me?" Have you ever had this kind of what I would call "Moses experience" or "Jonah experience"—running away from the call to serve?

Well, let me encourage you today by reminding you of a common saying: "God won't give you more than you can bear." I'm sure you've heard that before, right? There's a scripture for that, you know.

I remember a few years ago when I received some bad health news. My pastor shared a scripture with me that I had never heard before—I had never come across this scripture before. Here's what it says: 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

So yes, there might be school principals out there listening to this episode, and you've been entrusted with overseeing the administrative operations, staff, academic programming, and outcomes, and policy implementation because you're the one for that job. Your organizational skills, decision-making abilities, and commitment to educational excellence ensure that the school runs effectively and efficiently, creating an environment where students and teachers can thrive.

Yes, as God's people, we may initially be hesitant to take on new roles, new opportunities—whether because of cognitive dissonance, comfort zone bias, or even imposter syndrome—but keep moving forward, keep climbing higher, keep growing taller because Jesus says in 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Yes, as a school teacher, you might have 150 students like I did when I taught high school Spanish, to teach every day from first through sixth period. Some days, you might be wondering how you would even hold everyone's attention for an extended period of time. How you would cater to 150 students, all with different preferences, diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and identities.

But you have been trained for this. You were made for this. You were destined for this. All those hours you spent as a child playing school, remember? Yeah, pretending to be the teacher—all those hours were preparing you for the real thing. Your Sunday School or Sabbath School lessons were preparing you for the public or private school lessons. Your study of the Master Teacher, Jesus Himself, through the Word of God, has prepared you to teach with commitment, to teach with integrity, to teach with passion.

Oh yeah, I feel like I'm in preaching mode right now—to teach with passion, to teach with compassion, to teach with wisdom, to teach to inspire. Your ability is greater than your assignment. Yeah, you might have thought it was just the degree that prepared you, right? But let me say this:

I was a high school teacher for three years—a high school teacher of Spanish. I also did a couple of months of substitute teaching at both the high school and middle school levels. And let me tell you, there were many moments of the day that no degree could have prepared me for. It wasn't my degree that showed me how to respond to that middle school student who slapped me upside the head. Yeah, you heard right. Bam—slapped me in the head. Thankfully, I turned out okay.

It wasn't my degree, per se, that guided me when that high school student looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I'm about to do something stupid."

In those moments, it wasn't the knowledge from a textbook that carried me through. It was something deeper. It was something greater. It was something higher that was at work within me. Yes, my ability is greater than my assignment. Your ability is greater than your assignment, and that's not because of anything we have achieved on our own, but because of the One who empowers us to achieve. No, we can't do it on our own.

Philippians 4:13 reminds us, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is His strength that enables me to rise above these challenges, to face each moment with divine godly wisdom and the grace that no degree in itself could impart.

And let's not forget 2 Corinthians 3:5, which says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." It's His ability, His power within me that is far greater than any assignment I could be given, even in the most unexpected and difficult moments.

We've been equipped, not by our own merits per se, but by the divine strength and wisdom that comes from God. My ability is greater than my assignment because my ability is rooted in the One who called me, who strengthens me, and who is always greater than the challenges I face.

As is often said, we serve a God who is bigger than our problems. My first teaching assignment started in the middle of the school year with a class of almost 40 students, many of whom were placed in my Spanish class simply because they needed the credit to graduate high school. However, that's where I wanted to be. That's where I chose to be. I knew what I was getting into. That's where God wanted me to be, despite all the challenges—and there were many.

I was thrilled that these kids saw that it was possible for a Black man who's a non-native Spanish speaker to teach them how to read, write, speak, listen, and comprehend Spanish. They were so shocked to have a certified, degreed Black male teacher of Spanish. One student actually called out to me in the middle of my lesson and said, "Mr. Reynolds"—of course, I was Mr. Reynolds back then; I didn't have the PhD yet—"Mr. Reynolds, are you all Black?" Yeah, that was quite a hilarious moment.

Yes, these are the moments that no education degree can prepare you for. You see, my assignment was to teach Spanish, but my ability led me to inspire hope. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 clearly confirms and validates the statement that your ability is greater than your assignment.

It says, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are."

He's chosen you for a purpose, for a reason. Sure, you've heard people say, "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called." I believe this is where that comes from. And by the way, sometimes He does call the qualified, so I think that statement is somewhat one-sided, but I get it.

All right, so now let's dive into the last principle: My growth is greater than my comfort. My growth is greater than my comfort.

It would have been convenient, comfortable for me to sit here another 10 years or so and not launch this podcast. You know, just keep all these lessons and these episodes to myself, or I could just share these thoughts with you at my local church congregation in my sermons, or just share them in conversations with friends and family. Yes, I could have easily justified using all these hours I've been investing in producing and recording these now 24 episodes for something else, but that would not have led to the growth I'm experiencing and the growth and transformation my listeners have been experiencing in their own lives.

Keeping all this to myself would not be in alignment with my purpose. In fact, I think it would be selfish. James 4:17 says, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." So, I refuse to allow that sin to be laid to my charge.

Let me make this even more practical for you. It would be more comfortable for my wallet if my son's shoe size didn't change every few months. But on the other hand, if I value growth, then I must pay the price. No growth is free.

When the shoes get tighter, it means there's growth. And if the price isn't paid to allow for more room for the growing feet by getting some new shoes, then it will become painful to walk in those shoes. So yes, it's costly, but I'll pay for the new shoes because the value of growth outweighs the cost.

How much are you willing to sacrifice for growth? That's the question. How much are you willing to sacrifice for growth? How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to grow? That's the question we must ask ourselves—growth isn't free. It often comes at a price. You may have to sacrifice your ego. You may have to sacrifice your time. You may have to give up things that once made you feel comfortable.

In Luke 14:27, Jesus reminds us of the cost of discipleship: "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Bearing the cross isn't just about dealing with life's hardships; it's about willingly accepting the sacrifices required to follow God's will. Paul also has some thoughts on this in his letter to the Philippians. Philippians 3:7-8 says, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

Here, Paul is saying that true growth in Christ may require us to give up the things we once valued. And let's not forget the story of the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. Now, what can we gather from that? Despite being freed from slavery, they were willing to sacrifice their freedom for the comfort of a familiar place.

So they said, and we see this in Exodus 14:12: "For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." This scripture reminds us that sometimes we long for the comfort of the past, even if that comfort was bondage, because stepping into the unknown requires sacrifice.

I ask you this question again: How much are you willing to sacrifice for your growth? Are you willing to lay down your comfort, your pride, and your old ways to take up the cross and follow the path God has laid out for you? Yes, my growth is greater than my comfort.

James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." This speaks to the fact that, yes, growth often requires trials and challenges that will push us out of and far beyond the comfort zones.

My growth is greater than my comfort. What does Paul say in Philippians 3:13-14? "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

So Paul is pushing for forward-moving progress, growth, as opposed to being stagnant. My growth, yes, it is greater than my comfort. Romans 5:3-4 says, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." Yes, as hard as it might seem in the moment, sometimes life's challenges and obstacles lead to more resilience, perseverance, character development, and hope—showing that growth is a greater pursuit than what's familiar or more comfortable.

Oh, I could go on about this, but enough said for now. I pray that this episode has been a blessing to you. If it has, please write a review, leave a rating, or send me an email at faithmeetsacademia@gmail.com. I am always interested in your story. We're all in this together. I'll see you next week. Stay safe, and be blessed.