One of the most quiet but powerful forms of self-sabotage is something we rarely name for what it truly is…our addiction to comfort.

It shows up in the cozy weekend routines that numb us. Binging shows, reaching for that extra drink or indulgence, rewarding ourselves for making it through another busy week. It disguises itself as rest, but often it’s just distraction/escape. It’s that subtle fear whispering, “Don’t risk it. Don’t stretch. Just stay safe right here.” So we settle. We grab our phones to scroll. We take something to help us tune out. We eat terrible food that gives a temporary dopamine hit that eventually makes us tired and unmotivated.

We disconnect from God, from ourselves, and from others as time passes by.

We pride ourselves on not being, “like them,” the ones in addiction who have lost everything. But, I would argue that our addiction to comfort is just as damaging. Because we haven’t lost enough that it forces us to really take a look at ourselves in order to change and grow. We stay stuck in a distracted cycle of escape. Where we never really experience what God has in store for us. Where we don’t work toward our greatest potential as far as health. Where we don’t get to experience what it feels like to have intimate, fully engaging relationships with our family and friends.  

God has placed dreams in your heart, gifts in your spirit, and love in your hands to give. Comfort zones can become cages if we stay in them too long. It doesn’t mean we are lazy. However, it does mean that we need to take massive action. We need to do this to live a life God intended us to live. A life where we are not just surviving but, thriving.

So maybe today is the day to ask:
What am I calling rest that’s actually fear?
What am I choosing that soothes me but doesn’t serve me?
Am I merely surviving… or am I finally ready to thrive?

You are worthy of a life that stretches you, heals you, grows you, and yes, sometimes even scares you. Because love lives on the other side of fear. And, love is the ultimate goal.