Recently my wife Lily experimented with making pizza in a more healthy way for me.  She used pita bread instead of dough (and I just found out now, turkey instead of ham!).  I like ham and pineapple pizza so she made an individual sized pizza for me and then got creative with the one she made for herself.  She was pretty thrilled with the combo of ingredients she put on hers and offered to let me try it.

Now, there’s something you need to know about me and that is, I don’t really like sampling other people’s food.  I eat what I ask for or what I order when I’m at a restaurant because that’s what I feel like eating. I always say to Lily, “If I wanted some of what you are eating I would have ordered it.” There may also be an “I don’t want to have to give you any of mine” attitude in there too.

Lil was pretty proud of the pizza she made for herself and really wanted me to try it … like somehow I’d be completely taken by this new concoction and wouldn’t even want my ham and pineapple any more – fat chance that’s going to happen! So I gave her my standard line when she asked me to try it:  “Lil, I like my pizza; I don’t want to try yours.” This time she put on the pressure: “Please try it; it’s really good; I think you’ll like it.”  “No”, I said, as I took a big bite into my pizza and savoured the mixture of sweet and tangy in my mouth. But she wasn’t finished and kept asking me to try hers.

Usually I don’t give in.  But this time it seemed very important to her for me to try it, so I took a bite. I don’t know what was on her pizza (you’ll have to ask her) but it was no Hawaiian grade pizza, that’s for sure. She asked, “What do you think? Do you like it?” She also threw in an “Isn’t it great” just to help me with my answer. I thought for a moment and said, “It tastes like you would really like it.”  At that moment she remembered whom she was asking to try her food. She simply smiled, shook her head, end of conversation.

God seeks to get us to try new things. It might be a new ministry to serve in, or a new way to connect with him like through journaling. It could be to take a leap of faith, or maybe to seek help for a problem. Whatever it is, God wants to take us from our comfort zone into something better.  However, often we’re stuck in what we like and are comfortable with, and we don’t take God up on his offer. Or, we don’t give the new idea enough of a try to get to like it.  We should be more open to God leading us and not so stuck in our ways, because, unlike pizza that is a personal preference, God is always going to lead us into something great.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

(Disclaimer: in no way am I saying Lil’s pizza is better than mine.)

How has God pushed the boundaries of your comfort zone? Leave a comment below.