Stepping Outside (Spiritual Comfort Zones)
Editor’s Note: this post was originally published in 2016. It is being reposted as part of our blog migration. We still strongly encourage you to step out of your comfort zones, but please practice social distancing while doing so.
April 2, 2016
"Disrupting my comfort zone, bombarding myself with challenging people and situations — this is the best way I know to keep growing. And to paraphrase a biologist I once met, if you're not growing, you're dying."
- Brian Grazer, Disrupting My Comfort Zone
Recently, the idea of spiritual stagnation has rested heavily on my mind. I wonder if a relationship with God can truly flourish under a schedule. Wake up, pray, have breakfast, pray, go to class, pray while walking, have lunch, pray... It is almost comical how predictable the cycle devolves from there. I am grateful that I am able to weave my faith into my day, but am I satisfied? Furthermore, am I growing?
I've never been the type of person to dive into new situations just outside of my comfort zone. The edges of this mental sanctuary are comforting, rather than limiting to me. However, when I have tried something new (and in my mind, scary) I have seldom regretted it. This Spring Break, I decided to spontaneously take a Grey Hound up-state to visit my high school friends in college. Before I left to the bus station I was nervous and full of doubt. What if they don't want to see me? What if it's not the same as old times? I ended up having an unforgettable weekend with some of my best friends, and it's all because I stepped outside of my comfort zone.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone means actively seeking out new opportunities for renewal and growth. Like getting on that bus, typically the hardest part of disrupting the status quo is just getting to where you need to be. At Yale, we are blessed with literally hundreds of events that can help us engage even more deeply with God. Just this weekend alone there is a Ivy League Christian Conference (NEXUS), morning prayer with multiple faith-based groups, and even a Logos meeting over Brunch. Seeking out conversation, reflection, worship, and prayer is the first step to disrupting the all-too-familiar comfort zone. The next step? Growth.
Being a dynamic Christian means subjecting yourself to experiences that can change you - and being changed by them. Do not stagnate in your faith because it is easy. Do not write off your faith as another item on an always growing to-do list. Make your relationship with God a priority and seek Him out in new ways.
Ideas for Stepping Out (and In to Him):
Start a blog
Attend talks, conferences, debates
Read an immersive book on Christianity
Try a new morning devotional
Go on a retreat
Try a Bible Study
Listen to new worship songs
Go on a mission trip
Engage in intellectual conversations with new people
March 11, 2017 | By Constance Thurmond ’19
As a dancer, I am constantly aware of how I look. Every movement, muscle, breath, and articulation consists of a fine balance between precise anatomical awareness and artistry. As challenging as this is, I take pleasure in attempting to find the equidistant point that lies between these two facets of dance.
For thousands of years, choreographers, influenced by their cultures and contexts, have had different ideas of where this equidistant point lies. Some believe dancers should be muscular and powerful, while others lean towards graceful and elegant. Some think that dance should tell a story, yet others, believe that there is no story to be told. In this area, I am not an expert, as it is my job to serve as the paint that is guided by their brush. As paint, I seek to master each variance and discrepancy present within a respective choreographer's work, and then perform this yin and yang of style to those who are willing and able to engage with it.