I always say "When God wants us to move, He makes us uncomfortable", and in tha move we grow. Sometimes we are so "comfortable" in our situation that we don't even realize it's time to move, so God makes what was once comfortable...uncomfortable. Sometimes, that feeling comes out of nowhere- you wake up one day, and the thing that brought you joy or excited you (a relationship, a job) it just doesn't give you joy; instead, you find it's bringing you more stress than peace; its time to move girl! Then there are those times that you have been extremely uncomfortable for a while; it keeps you up at night and keeps you in a constant state of mental or emotional turmoil; it's time to move, girl! However, the thought of moving on from the thing(s) that is keeping you up at night is less of importance as the change its self. The idea of moving begins to give you just as much anxiety as staying!
Sometimes multiple factors keep us feeling stuck and immobilized with fear; the fear of the unknown can be scary as hell! Not being able to see your way in the dark can be just as terrifying as being able to see with all the lights on. Imagine walking in the dark at night, and it's so dark, you can't even see your hand in front of you. All the creepy and terrifying things you think are out there, become even more intensified; you are terrified even to take a few steps and have no idea what's in front of you. Then you start to question yourself: What if I bump into something... what if I stumble on something?
Therefore, you stand in the same spot all night, afraid to move, hungry, and cold. Yet, when the sun comes up, you see you were walking through a wide-open field that is beautiful with different directions that led many to many possibilities. You see, there were many opportunities to find shelter and food, yet you were terrorized of the unknown, you deprived yourself of a good night's sleep in a warm bed with a good meal! Yet, the reality is, if you got cold enough, or hungry enough, you would have become you would have moved in...despite the fear.
That's just a simple analogy and visual of just how debilitating fear of moving can keep us stuck. It's an illustration of how many opportunities we can miss out on because we can't see in front of us. We deprive ourselves of happiness and opportunities for fear of moving. Sometimes not moving is wise, and other times your inability to make a move can bring you more harm the longer you stay. For instance, if you are in an abusive relationship, you can no always get up and leave, you have to plan an exit safely. Yet, making the decision to move.. is the first step just as courageous and meaningful as the move itself. We can all think of times when we can look back and realized we stayed in the situation longer than we should have, but the thing that took the longest time to get too.. was the decision.
I have found the older I get, the less tolerance I am to stay in situations that don't serve me. I believe I am more intuitive when it comes to feeling God's nudges when He needs me to move vs. waiting until I am so uncomfortable, it becomes painful. Let's be clear, just because He moves me does mean I don't question if its going to work or turn out right. I just have to remind myself that God has NEVER forsaken me or led me down a path that did work out for my good. Trust God to be who He says He is, and do what He says He will do. At the core of all worry is doubt., so you have to put the doubt aside and trust Him in your movements.
I recall that even before my former abusive relationship got physical, I was uncomfortable. Yet, I was terrified of being alone, being a single parent again, paying the bills by myself, and ten million excuses/ rationalizations I gave myself. I stayed and was scared to move, no matter how "uncomfortable" I was. I have been in situations at work where I was comfortable, and life was great....then my boss left, or something organizationally occurred, and I was instantly uncomfortable. The department and routine that once gave me comfort made me stressed and anxious every day. I found that being uncomfortable motivated me to move and transfer departments, and it turned out to be the best thing.
Being uncomfortable often gives us the little push and motivation we need to change course; the need to move turns to urgency because our peace is compromised. That happens to be another thing I have learned as I have gotten older; my peace is more valuable than the fear of change of the unknown.
I have a few questions for you:
Is God making you uncomfortable; is there something that keeps you up at night and drains you of your peace and joy during the day?
What is it making you fearful and keeping you stuck in the dark /holding you back?
What if that fear of the dark were removed, what opportunities would you see more clearly?
What are you going to do about it..?