Out of My Comfort Zone

Many times on mission trips, God reveals Himself to me in ways that I would expect. In the people that I would meet, through devotions made to draw us closer to Him, or in the sites that I would serve. But this week, God revealed Himself the most prominently through the people that I went on the trip with, not the people that I would be leaving but the people that I would be coming home with.

I came into the trip nervous, less for the ministry sites or for the people I would meet, and more for the group of wonderful people I was going with. Every trip I've gone on the last five years, I've been a leader in the group. People looked up to me and looked to me, sometimes only because I was older. But this time, I was one of the youngest.

I wasn't used to being (for lack of a better word) the underdog of a group. But through that, I learned more important lessons. Stepping back from your normal position, out of your comfort zone, gives you a greater opportunity to learn something different. Being in a different group dynamic gave me the chance to learn something outside of my normal 'don't-take-it-for-granted,' 'everyone-has-a-story' lesson I've come back with every year since 7th grade. I took on the role of 'learner' instead of 'teacher' and from that, recognized my own weaknesses, as well as my own strengths, and learned from people smarter than myself.