Comfortable, But Unhappy
As you may know from visiting this site, I serve others as a certified life/empowerment coach. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching some pretty amazing people who characterized themselves as being: stuck, unproductive, needing change and desiring new direction.
One client in particular comes to mind. By most people’s standard, she had and is living a successful life. She is a devoted Christian and Bible teacher in her church. She retired from a successful career and is completely debt-free! In my opinion what she had achieved up to this point was exceptional! In the midst of all her outstanding accomplishments, however, she was still feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. During one of our coaching sessions she said something that went off in me like a bell. She said, “For most of my life I have been comfortable, but unhappy.”
As you think about this sentiment expressed by my client you might ask, “How is this possible to be comfortable, but unhappy?” In my observation of life as it is for many people, it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Like many of the people I coach in my practice, there are countless people all around you, in your family, on your job, and in your community who feel this way. They know that there’s more to their life than their current situation and desire to step into their promise land. You may feel like that yourself too. Most of us, however, if the truth be told, are afraid to take that step, (whatever that step might be for you), and leave the familiar. Most are fearful of change and just rather stay in their comfort zones, even if it means being unhappy year in and year out.
I believe in every person’s life there comes a time when you have to make the conscious decision whether you will continue to stay on the highway of life that leads to nowhere or take the exit that leads to a life of purpose & fulfillment. I’m a firm believer we were all created with and for a purpose. God has destined each of us to enter our promise land, but we have to be willing to step out in faith and leave our comfort zones.
In Genesis 12 Abram (not yet call Abraham) had to do just that. In this passage of scripture God told him to leave his comfort zone and all that was familiar to enter a land of promise.
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
If you can imagine, this must have been a hard thing for Abram to do. He had to leave everything he was use to and step out into the unknown. I’m sure this wasn’t an easy thing to do. Genesis 12:4 says:
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Now the Hebrew meaning of the word departed means to “break out”. To break out from a thing requires a concentrated effort. Many people are praying for breakthrough in their life but God is requiring that they first break out and break free from their comfort zones. With further examination of this verse you will see why the Father requires you make a concentrated effort to leave the familiar.
The verse states Abram departed out of Haran. Now the Hebrew meaning of the word Haran means parched. Abram was in the midst of a dry, unproductive land and this is where you may find yourself in life. You may have an overwhelming sense of being dry, barren, and unfruitful in many areas of your life such as your career, business, ministry, relationships, etc. For you, like many in the world today, true life fulfillment is passing you by and you don’t know how to get off the merry-go-round of mediocrity. You’re just simply unhappy, unsatisfied, and your search for purpose continues to go unmet.
As we continue to read about Abram’s journey to fulfillment we will find the answer you seek. Genesis states, “…Abram and his family went forth to go into the land of Canaan. Canaan was the place of promise and destiny.
The land of Canaan represented blessings and fulfillment, but if you look a little deeper, with eyes of the Spirit, it also represents a posture that leads to possession. The Hebrew meaning of the word Canaan means to humble, bring down, and break down. By the Spirit, we can see that before we can possess the promises God has for us we have to break-free (leave Haran) and then break down or humble ourselves to God’s will, then we will come into our land of divine fulfillment and blessings.
Abram was willing to do just that and his obedience ushered him into a place of productivity and growth. Genesis says:
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
The part I want you to focus on is the place where Abram ended up…the plain of Moreh, which is in the land of Canaan. Now Moreh, if you dig deep and research the root Hebraic meanings, it means (are you ready for this?) rain and showers (Strong’s Concordance: 4176, 4175).
In humble obedience to the voice of God, Abram broke free from his dry, unproductive comfort zones and entered a place of rain and refreshing. He stepped into a new dimension where he flourished, produced and gave birth to divine purpose and destiny. Abram knew he had reached a significant place physically and spiritually, that he built God an altar to commemorate this event, (Gen. 12:7). He left the ordinary to step into the extraordinary.
I want to propose the question to you. Are you willing to humbly obey God’s promptings to break free from your dry familiar places and enter into a new place of refreshing growth, purpose, and fulfillment? How long will you be comfortable, but unhappy? I once heard a wise man said, “In order for you to get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” I want to encourage you to take that step today.
No Comments