Earlier this summer, I had to face my annual church-related fear: Vacation Bible School! It’s not that I don’t love children; I do. It’s just that I don’t always enjoy working with them. The large groups, loud noises and overall chaos place me way outside of my comfort zone, stress me out, and give me a significant amount of anxiety. When I work in VBS, I end up doing very strange things like donning hot pink hair for Crazy Hair Night.

Classy, right? So every year, I start to stress about juggling my work schedule with the chaos of VBS and the sleep-deprivation of my kiddos… and I vow I’m not going to serve this time. Then every year, I end up working anyway. And every year, I end up having so much fun!

This summer was no different. I went through the same hesitations and the same fears, but still ended up having a great week leading an awesome group of first graders! Once again, I was so glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone and served despite my hesitations.

But this year, in addition to the blessings I enjoyed while serving in VBS, I also experienced an unexpected blessing as well.  A few weeks ago, a whole two months after VBS was over and done with, I was having a particularly bad day one Sunday morning. It had been one of those mornings when the kids woke up fighting, we couldn’t find a parking spot at church, and I was completely frazzled by the time I dropped them all off in their classrooms.

Then, on my way to my own class, I ran into three different girls who had been in my first grade VBS group. Each one recognized me, was excited to see me, and greeted me with smiles, hugs, and the sweetest little faces I’d ever seen. They completely made my day, and within a matter of five minutes, my frazzled mood completely changed. Had I not invested a small amount of my time and energy into those girls two months earlier, I would have missed out on the huge blessing they gave me that morning.

I’m a firm believer that you should find a place to serve  in church that aligns with your gifts, interests, and abilities. But every now and then, it’s necessary to serve simply because you’re needed.

Is there an area in your church that could use your help? Do you have hesitations? Are you worried it may be difficult or inconvenient, and it may pull you out of your comfort zone?

I encourage you to do it anyway. You may end up looking silly. It may be difficult and uncomfortable. Or it may end up blessing your socks off just when you need it most!

Q: What blessings have you experienced from serving outside of your comfort zone?