We all have them. Those areas of life from which we seldom, if ever, like to venture. For some, there are racial comfort zones. In these people’s lives, little interaction ever takes place with anyone outside their own skin color or ethnic background. Others live in economic comfort zones. That is, they find their fellowship primarily with those in their own socioeconomic circles and seldom venture far outside them. Some live in political comfort zones.
They don’t have much to do with those who don’t think as they do or vote for the same people and parties they promote. If we are honest, we’ll admit that, more often than not, comfort zones present one of the biggest obstacles to rebuilding. Nehemiah concluded the first chapter of his book with a final and seemingly benign sentence, “For I was the king’s cupbearer” (Nehemiah 1:11). On the surface it certainly does not sound too impressive.
What was he? A dishwasher? A waiter? Or was he some type of a busboy? This statement seems so out of context with the rest of the chapter; it just hangs there like some sort of dangling addendum. But there is so much behind this simple sentence. Nehemiah was, in fact, the king’s most trusted confidant. He was constantly by the king’s side.
He tasted every drop of drink and every morsel of food before it went into the king’s mouth. Nehemiah was no busboy; he was the faithful counsel to the most important man in the land. The fact that Nehemiah had risen up through the ranks to become the “king’s cupbearer” speaks volumes about his own character and reputation.
Persia was the world power of its day, and the king would select only the wisest, most honest, most loyal and trustworthy person he could find to be his personal cupbearer. The point Nehemiah is making with this statement is simply this—he had made it. He was fixed for life. He had a civil service job with what must have been incredible benefits. Yet he was willing to move out of his own comfort zone in order to be the agent of rebuilding in Jerusalem. This is what a man of God does when God tells you to go you go and do what he asks.
One of the reasons there is so little rebuilding of relationships and lives today is that too few of us are willing to step out of our own self-imposed comfort zones. We like our “benefits,” and we aren’t particularly willing to sacrifice them—not to help another and not to bring glory to God.
My name is Cesar and I’m A Voice in The Desert
www.avoiceinthedesert.net
www.vozeneldesierto.com
www.mywalkwithmycreator.com
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