When Life Gets Uncomfortable.

Every day we should do things that are a bit out of our comfort zones. But, being comfortable is where we thrive. We seek familiarity and gain a lot from that, but we gain even more by being uncomfortable, even if it may not seem like it at the moment. When we are in the unfamiliar we tend to close ourselves off and spare extra attention to what's going on around us trying to adapt to the situation. You oftentimes may ask yourself why you feel uncomfortable in situations where others may not, or why you keep putting yourself in these unbearable conditions. All I can tell you is this: Sometimes God puts us in uncomfortable situations to grow us; to get us to where we need to be.Can you imagine doing the ordinary, mundane things every single day? You would be a seed in a nourished pot of soil without being watered. You have the opportunity to be beautiful, but you're not taking the opportunity to soak in life.This past semester when I got my schedule I was excited until I looked more closely and saw that I would be taking public speaking three times a week at 8 am. Already not being a morning person, the fact that I had to do speeches that early made me uncomfortable. In the beginning, I observed all the people in my class. Who was most like me? Why am I the only one that seems to be so nervous?I did my first speech, and I was a nervous wreck. I had the shaky, quiet voice, lack of eye contact, and no confidence in myself at all. I considered dropping the class, but then realized I would have to take it at some point, so I got through it. Speech after speech, as hard and uncomfortable as it got, I found my confidence growing. I could look people in the eye for more that 0.5 seconds (whoo!). At the end of the class, I was voted most improved. It reassured me that being uncomfortable grows you. God grew me. He said, "You're strong and I'm not going to let you give up on yourself just because it's hard. Just trust in me." And I did.If I didn't step out of my little bubble I would've never faced my fear. If I didn't face my fear, I'd be the same person I was 6 months ago before I took the class. It turned out that I wasn't the only one deathly afraid of public speaking. When you put yourself in uncomfortable situations you're allowing God to use you and that's all he asks of you. To use you and to grow you so that you may be an example to others.So, that seed that I mentioned earlier...when you take that opportunity to grow, you will sprout and have that opportunity to be beautiful and for others to see you. When they see you they will ask you how you came to be so brave and you will tell them your secret to growth. Your God.words by Tiffany Campbell and photo by Jessica DiMento