Most Real Opportunities Sound Too Good to Be True . . .At First

Boats provided comfort zones for several of that initial team of disciples that Jesus called and later named His first apostles. They knew boats. They understood boats. They were comfortable in boats. Two experiences with these men and boats taught them and us vital lessons about the vast differences between comfort zones and opportunities.

In one lesson, Jesus said to the disciples: "Let us go to the other side." He did not say, let's take the boat to the middle of the lake and drown in a storm. In this proposition, we discover the initial lesson about the difference between opportunities and comfort zones. In your comfort zone, you usually have no vision, because you do not perceive yourself to need one. You see, you expect your comfort zone to meet your needs. Certainly you do not plan to fail at life. But when you live comfortably in your comfort zone, you often fail to plan. You must have a vision about a destination before any opportunity serves a purpose in your life. Without a vision--an "another side" to go to--you have no need for, and will therefore fail to recognize an opportunity.

Shortly after leaving shore, the disciples found themselves and their boat in a fierce storm. They fought the squalls as best they could, using comfortable, though ineffective tactics and tools. But this storm prevailed. Winds rocked their boat. Billowing waves threatened to swamp the vessel. Meanwhile, their leader--Jesus--slept peacably in the front of the boat. At this point, something strange happened in the minds of these fishermen, these rough and tumble men who had fought storms before. Overwhelmed by the violent potential of these circumstances, they died in their heads!

Desperately, they ran to Jesus, struggling to awaken Him quickly. "Master," they cried, "do you not care that we perish."

Here we find the another lesson about comfort zones and opportunities. When the tools and tactics of your comfort zone fail to conquer the challenges of current circumstances, you will likely sink into desperation and die in your head. Consider yet another lesson: A dead head cannot sustain a body for long. Some "bodies" die because they're trying to live under the control and direction of a "dead head."

With the confidence born of faith, Jesus assessed the challenges, strode to the side of the boat and challenged the challenges with God's word--"Peace be still!" Yet another lesson: all circumstances, challenges and life situations must fall before the power of God's Word, spoke on the foundation of absolute faith.

In yet another incident, another boat and another purpose, the disciples found themselves this time in their comfort zone without Jesus being with them. This time, too, Jesus set the disciples' destination--the other side--to Bethsaida. Again, the disciples found themselves trapped in a storm, one which they could not conquer. Yet they continued struggling, using ineffective tools and tactics. Trapped in their comfort zone, they saw no solutions.

About 4am, the disciples looked up from their struggles in shocked amazement to see a figure they scarcely recognized walking through the storm on the water, and according to Mark 6:48 "Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by." This time because they saw Jesus in a different set of circumstances, doing something they had never seen before--walking on water, they refused to recognize Him as Jesus.

These men--several of them fishermen--stood there on the boat--their comfort zone--unable to recognize Jesus' demonstration as a second way to conquer the storms of circumstances. Then one of them--Peter--said: "Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you on the water." Jesus replied simply: "Come."

What an opportunity!

Jesus did not specify "Peter, come." He said to all the disciples on that boat--trapped in their comfort zone--come. Do what you've never done before! Walk on water!

Here's a summary lesson. Conquer some storms by challenging them with the power of God's word uttered in absolute faith. Conquer other storms by getting to the other side with new tactics. Never allow circumstances, conditions and situations, coupled with your comfort zone, to defeat you--to cause you to die in your head.

Only one person conquered the challenge by seizing the opportunity to do something he had never done before, to accomplish something that sounded too good to be true--to walk through a storm on water, rather than struggle in a storm trapped in a comfort zone.

Despite his courage, his willingness to get out of the boat by faith, Peter succumbed to inexperience and took his eyes off the one who had called Peter out of the comfort zone into new opportunity. Notice what it says in Matthew 14:30-32 "And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying Lord save me." There's another lesson. Sometimes Jesus rides with you in your comfort zone and challenges you to behave differently. At other times, Jesus calls you out of your comfort zone and meets you in the boisterous waves of your circumstances. Do not respond to the waves. Rather, keep your heart and mind focused on He who called you out of your comfort zone in the void of faith where He always meets you.

How do you know when a situation has become a comfort zone that often blinds you to opportunities?

When your experiences, tools and tactics fail to conquer most of the serious circumstances that challenge your life, you are usually trapped in a comfort zone, blinded to opportunities moving all around you just the other side of your comfort zone.

Respond to the advice of Jesus: "Come!"