Comforter

   This past weekend I attended Set Apart, a women's conference that is held once a year. I went with my mom, sister, and nana. It was a very eye-opening experience for me. There were women of all ages there. It was a blessing to be able to learn more about God and grow in my relationship with Him in the presence of so many of my sisters in Christ. Although we were all from different places and came under different circumstances, our faith in Jesus Christ bonded us together. 
   I attended different workshops and listened to multiple different speakers while I was there. Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts, was one of the main speakers at the conference. She talked about letting go of anxiety and trusting in our Heavenly Father. She discussed the issue of how it is easy to say you believe in God, for even the demons believe in Him and know He is real. However, it is much different to out your trust in God. You can say you believe in Him, but completely surrendering your life, trusting Him and experiencing His love and faithfulness because of this trust is something completely different. 
  Along with this, she talked about our Lord as our comforter. One thing she said has stuck in my head and I won't ever forget it, "You have to step out of your comfort zone to experience the comfort of your comforter." This really made me think. God has a calling on each of our lives. He doesn't want us to settle and He doesn't call us to live a comfortable life. He has a purpose for us and asks us to go beyond what we consider comfortable because there we will be challenged. We will be stretched and grow in ways we didn't know were possible. At times it will be tough and at times it will be scary, but that is why God asks us to trust Him. He has a plan and He knows the result; trust Him and take that step. Our faith will grow deeper and our hearts will be changed.

   God is faithful to us. As He calls us to unknown situations and into unstable circumstances, He promises to be right there with us. He promises to comfort us through it all and will not leave our side. He doesn't expect us to take this leap of faith on our own. He will be there to catch us and guide us as we live out His purpose for our lives. We will become more willing to go out of our comfort zones as our trust in God grows. It is much easier said than done. When we say we fully trust in God, we don't know what He is going to ask us to do or what situations He is going to bring us to, but we can be assured that He is our comforter and we have no reason to fear. God has a purpose for all of us and asks us to begin by taking that first step. He will be there with us as we do and will comfort us during every step we take for the rest of our lives.