Blog

The seductive power of the comfort zone

Most of us operate on the assumption, “This is better … therefore, I like it!” In fact, the opposite is usually the case. When we are contemplating change, we are deeply biased towards things that fall within our comfort zone. We usually like what feels reasonably comfortable, and then justify it by rushing to assure other people (and ourselves) that, ‘It’s better!” We need to be deeply suspicious of things that we like. Not because they may not be good – or even better – but because it’s likely that they won’t demand fundamental change of us. It’s a powerful protocol against kidding ourselves.

Reinforcing our comfort zone

I’ve heard the comfort zone referred to as “the place where dreams go to die”. That’s because we use our comfort zone to inoculate against change: after all, what are dreams if not a recognition that things could be different … and better?

We reinforce our comfort zone by fine-tuning our ability to detect things that are worse than we are. We immediately notice people who speak differently from us … in order to look down on them. And we notice the ways in which other people drive … but when did you last notice someone driving better than you, and say to yourself, “I need to learn to drive like that!”?

Comfort zones reassure us that we’re fine as we are; no change necessary!

Worth a special trip out? Online vs real church

Now that we shop online, order online, buy online and wait at home for the goods to be delivered, the only trips we make out are special trips.

So if what you’re offering at church isn’t worth a special trip, it’s unlikely we’ll be dropping by any time soon …

“Will this be in the exam?” – vaccinating against transformation

What motivates us to change things? Especially, when and why will we act in the face of escalating risk? School taught us to ask the simple question: “Will this be in the exam?” If the answer is no, we don’t have to do anything about it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” is another form of the same thing: don’t do anything unless it’s absolutely unavoidable.

It’s default mode for churches in survival mode. Churches that have had the same, shrinking membership for years have every incentive not to change. After all, they’ve spent years getting everything exactly right for their group. Church is their second home – their comfort zone. In a world that is changing at a terrifying pace, it’s reassuring to be somewhere that’s reliably the same, year on year. And then there’s the knock-down argument against change: “There’s no guarantee that we’ll attract any new people, and we’ll just end up upsetting the few people we’ve got!”

That’s the “Will this be in the exam?” equivalent. And it’s the most powerful vaccination against transformation on the market.

Standing still brings our journey of discipleship to a grinding halt. The weeds start to grow and the creeper starts to envelop us. Decay. Asphyxiation. Death. Grudging change in the face of grinding necessity is the opposite of transformation.

We’re promised that there is so much more that God is itching to give us. We’re unfinished business – we’re still in the process of being fashioned to be more and more like Jesus. Our best is ahead of us, not behind.

Curiosity. Impatience. Faith. Delight. Love. Devotion to the Jesus we follow – these are the reasons for never standing still; for investing in change. This is the change that leads to transformation. It isn’t comfortable, but it’s the only way to discover the Life that God has for us in Jesus, through the Spirit. That’s when we discover things that are worth dying for.

Contributing to covenant life

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. In a closed system (the universe), the amount of energy remains constant. The two most basic forms are potential and kinetic. Potential energy is the stored energy of a boulder, poised to roll down the moment you release it. That’s gravitational potential. Kinetic energy is the energy of its motion, once it starts rolling.

That’s physics. The opposite is true in church life. Here’s the First Law of Church Life Thermodynamics:

You’re either the person who creates energy, or destroys it.

You can be the person who initiates things, or builds actively and creatively on the ideas and suggestions of others. You’re the one who asks, “Yes – and what if …?”, or who says eagerly, “I’ll do it!” or “I’ll help!”

Or you can be the negative person who can always find reasons for not doing anything. You can do that actively, or passively by simply being a bystander – eating the biscuits at a meeting, but not adding to the energy of the meeting, potential or kinetic. And always having any number of good reasons/excuses/explanations for why you are merely an absorber of it. Like the Death Eaters in the Harry Potter stories.

Covenant behaviour is always about being a contributor, rather than a consumer. It’s being the generous one, who always puts in far more than they take out. It’s not about personality; it’s about vision and faithfulness and the passion to make a Jesus-shaped difference.