Off the Edge of Life

Yesterday, October 25th, marked two months since I moved away from my home, my family and friends, and everything that was familiar in order to finish my education. Although this is a common and usual thing as you transition into adulthood, change is a significantly difficult thing for me to handle; I have always taken a little bit longer than others to adapt to things, and I love dwelling in my comfort zone.

Moving on my own, even into a dorm, has fractured my comfort zone.

There is a song that comes on the radio every once in a while, and every time it does, one of the beginning lyrics always stands out in my mind: “Tonight, I’m on the edge of leaving everything I’ve ever known.” This resonates personally in so many ways.

This past week I was home for several days while on fall break. In this time, I truly discovered how much I’ve left behind, how many things have changed. Habits have changed, things that used to be readily available are not anymore, and time with my family, friends, and dogs (because yes, they are incredibly important) has become more and more precious.

I stepped up to the edge of leaving everything I had ever known, and I jumped.

The life I loved living has been left behind and exchanged for a new adventure. This can be disheartening, frightening, and lonely. Yet, the thing about staying in your comfort zone is that you soon run out of room to grow; growth starts when you shatter the box you’re familiar with and step out.

Moving away from the life I had lived for so many years has revealed much about myself. It has challenged my ways of living, my beliefs, thought patterns, what I prioritize and give time to in my life. It has caused me to reevaluate, to refocus, and to once more, place Christ in the center of my universe and order everything else to revolve around him. It has been a shock to my system, every bit of my life.

When you step up to that edge, sometime paralyzing fear can stop us from jumping. You see the water below, but you also see the rocks. What if I fail? What if I’m not enough? What if I am unloved?

Yet, even when tumultuous sea is what lies at the end of our leap of faith, there is an Anchor that gives rest, and it is essential that we cling to a specific promise. Talking about our security and salvation in Christ, Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” No matter how chaotic life seems, how scared we are to leap off the edge into something new, we can rest in the fact that even if our world turns upside down, Christ anchors us firmly and securely in place.

When we are held secure by Christ, everything else may move, but we won’t.

Are you looking down off of the edge of a cliff, knowing you need to jump? Rest in Christ, know that you are held secure…and then jump. It is terrifying, and your comfort zone will be broken, but as the quote commonly attributed to C.S. Lewis goes, “There are far better things that lie ahead than any we leave behind.” We cannot stay where we are and truly become the people we were created to be.

Take Christ’s hand, know that he is holding you tight, and take the leap of faith.