Sometimes the words of a song capture a situation spot on. At church we sing a song called The Voice of Truth. In that song, there’s a line where we sing “…to step out of my comfort zone, into the realm of the unknown, where Jesus is, and He’s holding out His hand…” I interpret that to mean that Jesus is beckoning me to change for the better, and that He will hold my hand through any difficulty that may arise during my transformation. I have faith that the Holy Spirit will guide me through changes; and that I can turn what might be perceived as a difficult change into an occasion where I can find joy.
Recently I had a chance to step out of my comfort zone. This stepping out involved a degree of change; and again, change can be difficult, even when it’s a positive one. Late last year I attended a fundraiser for Recovery Cafe Valley of the Sun. I wasn’t even planning to go, but on the day of the fundraiser, someone with an extra ticket called me. What a God moment that turned out to be. At the fundraiser there was a silent auction. One of the items being auctioned was a package of 12 podcasts donated by Star Worldwide Networks, a local podcast platform. You can likely guess that I “won” the package.
Initially, I thought it would be a great marketing tool for my fledgling website. Then I prayed; and the Holy Spirit spoke to me, saying, Hey Rosemary, you gotta do something for the greater good here, not just be selfish and promote the website. So I prayed some more and was led to decide that the focus would be JOY. I was brought to that theme because I am at a place where I’m looking for a “secret sauce” to know how to develop and increase joy in my life. And joy is fruit of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (New American Standard Bible, 1995 update)
Podcast guests are regular, everyday people who are kind enough to take their time and share their thoughts and experiences related to joy. As of this writing there are 6 episodes posted. I am very grateful to Star Worldwide Networks for donating that prize to the silent auction. I know this experience is one way that God is growing me.
To listen to The Joy Podcast, visit starworldwidenetworks.com and click on All Shows. At some point they’ll be gone from there, and then you’ll be able to access them on the joyfuldesertrose.com website.
How is this stretching my comfort zone? Well, anyone who knows me, knows my propensity to be an introvert; and even this role of being a podcast host, where most of what I do is ask questions, is a very big stretch, and somewhat uncomfortable for me. The Holy Spirit spoke to me again, saying that I’ll not only gain more confidence to speak, but also glean insights on joy. And this experience is achieving both of those goals. Furthermore, it’s preparing and strengthening me to be a present-day witness and pray-er of the gospel of unconditional love. I would invite and encourage anyone, when you get the chance, to stretch your comfort zone to definitely take the opportunity, no matter how scary it might seem. Jesus will hold your hand and the Holy Trinity of Love will transform you.