前言

　　你是否感觉到神要你进入新的事物——新的工作、关系、事工或地方——但一想到它你就瘫痪了？或者，你可能想要与朋友或亲戚分享福音，或与家人和解，但想象经历的麻烦会让你停下来。

　　Do you sense that God is asking you to step into something new—a new job, relationship, ministry, or place—but the thought of it paralyses you? Or maybe you feel a nudging to share the gospel with a friend or relative, or to reconcile with a family member, but imagining the trouble of going through gives you pause.

　　我们大多数人都喜欢待在我们的“舒适区”——这是我们“尽量减少压力和焦虑”的默认地方。 它既熟悉又安全——但如果我们在那里呆太久，随着时间的推移，我们会变得懒惰、自满和不灵活。 最重要的是，它会给我们一种虚假的安全感，阻碍我们对上帝的信任和顺服。

　　Most of us love being in our “comfort zone”—the default place we go to “minimise stress and anxiety”. It’s familiar and safe—but if we stay there too long, over time we become lazy, complacent, and inflexible. And most importantly, it could give us a false sense of security and hinder us from growing in trust and obedience to God.

　　走出我们的舒适区，并不总是意味着为了改变而做出根本性的改变、冒险或做完全不同的事情。 这是关于走出去——无论是大是小——以便我们在与基督的关系中成长，并在我们的生活中为祂产生影响。

　　Stepping out of our comfort zone doesn’t always mean making radical changes, taking risks, or doing different things just for the sake of it. It’s about stepping out—whether in small or big ways—so that we grow in our relationship with Christ and make an impact for Him in our lives.

　　准备好摆脱熟悉的环境了吗？ 以下是帮助你入门的一些步骤：

　　Ready to move out of the familiar? Here are some steps to get you started:

　　1. 弄清楚是什么阻碍了你？Be clear about what is holding you back

　　是因为对不确定性的不适应？还是对失败的恐惧？或者可能是懒惰？仔细看看我们为什么在尝试新事物时犹豫不决或想了又想，可以发现我们有很多不安全感。

　　Is it the discomfort of uncertainty? Or fear of failure? Or could it be laziness? Taking a long, hard look at why we hesitate or think twice about attempting something new can reveal a lot about our insecurities.

　　有时，恐惧可能是合理的，走出舒适区可能会让我们付出一切。 想想以斯帖王后和她冒着风险（她可能会失去生命！）通过接近国王为她的人民的生命恳求他（以斯帖记 4:7-17）。 但她将自己的生命献给了上帝，并凭着信心接近国王，上帝通过拯救他们来尊重她的服从。

　　Sometimes, the fear could be legitimate, where stepping out of our comfort zone might cost us everything. Think of Queen Esther and the risk she took (she could have lost her life!) by approaching the king to plead with him for her people’s lives (Esther 4:7-17). But she committed her life to God and approached the king in faith, and God honoured her obedience by rescuing them.

　　然而，大多数时候，阻碍我们的事情并不涉及如此严重的影响。 还记得摩西和他对公开讲话的恐惧吗（出埃及记 4:10-17）？ 上帝不仅应许与他同在（出埃及记 4:12），而且向摩西保证他的兄弟亚伦将成为他的代言人。 如果神一开始就拣选了亚伦，岂不是更容易？ 显然，上帝坚持要帮助摩西克服他的不安全感，而不是选择更容易或更合乎逻辑的选择。

　　Most of the time, though, the things holding us back don’t involve such serious repercussions. Remember Moses and his fear of public speaking (Exodus 4:10-17)? God not only promised to be with him (Exodus 4:12), but assured Moses that his brother, Aaron, would be his mouthpiece. Wouldn’t it have been easier if God had just chosen Aaron in the first place? Clearly, God was insistent on helping Moses get past his insecurities than picking the easier or more logical choice.

　　将这些不安全感交托给主，看着他提供我们所需的资源和力量来做他托付给我们的事情。

　　Commit those insecurities to the Lord and watch Him provide the resources and strength we need to do what He’s entrusted to us.

　　2. 回想上帝帮助你度过难关的时光Recall the times God helped you through a difficult situation

　　还记得你最后一次在艰难时期向上帝呼求吗？祂是如何对待你的？ 也许这是你不得不与你的老板、你的朋友甚至你的家人进行的一次艰难的谈话。 或者，当你在一个陌生的国家、学校或工作场所面对陌生（甚至可能是敌对的）环境时。

　　Remember the last time you cried out to God during a trying period and how He saw you through it? Maybe it was a difficult conversation you had to make with your boss, your friend, or even your family. Or when you faced an unfamiliar (and maybe hostile) environment in a new country, school, or workplace where you didn’t know anyone.

　　我们不要像以色列人那样忘记神带领他们出埃及时所行的奇事和神迹（诗篇 78:11-12）。 花时间重述神的良善，提醒自己，祂会像以前一样帮助你度过面前的挑战。

　　Let’s not be like the Israelites who forgot the wonders and miracles that God had performed in leading them out of Egypt (Psalm 78:11-12). Take time to recount His goodness and remind yourself that He will help you through the challenge before you just as He did before.

　　如果有所帮助，请将这些时刻写在日记中或记录在你的手机中，这样您就可以回顾并从上帝在你生命中的奇妙作为中汲取力量和勇气。 记住上帝在困难时期的信实和拯救，让我们相信祂会在每一步都与我们同在。

　　If it helps, write down each of those moments in a journal or record them in your phone so that you can look back and draw strength and courage from God’s marvellous deeds in your life. Remembering God’s faithfulness and deliverance through difficult periods gives us the confidence that He will be with us every step of the way.

　　3. 仰望上帝，看到更大的图景Look up to God and see the bigger picture

　　或许你对上帝呼召你做的事感到不够，或者觉得任务或任务对你来说太大了。 还记得约书亚和迦勒——十二个个探子中仅有的两个——他们表示相信上帝会赐给他们迦南地，尽管他们看到当地人的存在（民 13:25-14:9）？

　　Perhaps you feel inadequate for what God has called you to, or feel that the task or assignment is too big for you. Remember Joshua and Caleb—the only two spies out of 12–who expressed confidence that God would give them the land of Canaan despite having seen the towering presence of the locals (Num 13:25-14:9)?

　　在那之前，我们看到亚伯拉罕如何响应上帝的呼召，在 75 岁时将他的全家连根拔起，离开舒适的家，前往异国他乡（创世记 12:1-6）。我们是否会像亚伯拉罕、约书亚和迦勒一样，因为我们相信上帝的应许而怀着信心前行，在我们执行他的工作时，他将永远与我们同在“直到这世代”（马太福音 28:19-20） ，并且在他里面“[我们]会为[我们的]灵魂找到安息”（马太福音11:28-29）？

　　Way earlier than that, we saw how Abraham responded to God’s call to uproot his whole family at the age of 75 and leave the comfort of his home to travel to a foreign land (Gen 12:1-6). Would we, like Abraham, Joshua and Caleb, go in faith because we trust in God’s promises, that as we carry out His work, He will always be with us “to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20), and that in Him “[we] will find rest for [our] souls” (Matt 11:28-29)?

　　超越我们眼前的环境并坚信上帝更大的应许，让我们有勇气进入未知领域。

　　Looking beyond our immediate circumstances and clinging to God’s bigger promises gives us the courage to go forth into the unknown.

　　4. 接受你会害怕和失败的事实Accept the fact that you will be scared and you will fail

　　做新的事情是可怕的，我们可能会失败。 不过没关系。 我们无法完全避免生活中的失望和失败。 我们能做的就是从我们的经验和错误中吸取教训，不要让这些事情阻碍我们继续前进和再次尝试。 最重要的是，作为上帝的选民，祂会指引我们的脚步，这让我们感到安慰。 即使我们失脚，祂也确保我们不会跌倒（诗篇 37：23-24）。

　　Doing something new is scary, and we could fail. But it’s okay. We cannot completely avoid disappointments and failure in life. What we can do is learn from our experiences and mistakes, and not let these things cripple us from moving forward and trying again. Most of all, we can take comfort in the fact that as God’s chosen people, He will direct our steps. Even when we stumble, He ensures that we will not fall (Psalm 37:23-24).

　　摩西就是一个很好的例子。 虽然他是神亲自拣选带领以色列人出埃及的，但他一路上还是犯了大错——因为他对以色列人的罪的愤怒，他打破了第一套石版，当神明确告诉他要说话时，他击打了磐石。他为后一个错误付出了代价，即他不被允许进入应许之地：迦南。

　　Moses is a good example. Though he was hand-picked by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he still made significant blunders along the way—breaking the first set of tablets in his anger against the Israelites’ sin and striking the rock when God explicitly told him to speak to it. And he paid for the latter mistake when he was not allowed to enter the physical promised land: Canaan.

　　然而，他并没有被排除在永恒的应许地之外，他仍然被认为是有史以来最伟大的先知之一，上帝通过他施行了奇妙的神迹奇事（申 34:10-12）。

　　Yet, he was not disqualified from the eternal promised land, and was still considered as one of the greatest prophets of all time, through whom God showed His amazing signs and wonders (Deut 34:10-12).

　　学会接受失败，可以消除第一次“正确”做事情的负担，并教导我们依靠基督。

　　Learning to accept failure removes the burden of having to get things “right” the first time, and teaches us to depend on Christ.

　　5. 从小事做起——做一些能让你朝着最终目标前进的事情Start small—do something that leads you towards the end goal

　　现在我们已经将我们的不安全感交托给了上帝，讲述了他过去如何帮助我们，回顾了他的应许，并接受了失败是可以的，是时候开始行动了。

　　Now that we’ve committed our insecurities to God, recounted how He has helped us in the past, recalled His promises, and accepted that failure is okay, it’s time to get moving.

　　但什么时候是“合适的时间”冒险？ 好吧，如果我们从传道书（传道书 11：1-10）中取出一段话，如果我们等待“完美的时机”，我们最终可能什么都不做。 相反，我们应该使用我们所拥有的，做我们能做的，让上帝在祂的时间里负责结果（5-6节）。

　　But when’s the “right time” to take the plunge? Well, if we take a leaf out of the preacher’s book (Ecclesiastes 11:1-10), we might end up doing nothing if we’re waiting around for the “perfect timing”. Instead, we should use what we have to do what we can, and let God take care of the results in His time (vv. 5-6).

　　以下是我们可以在生活的各个方面走出舒适区的一些方法：Here are some ways we can take small steps out of our comfort zone in the various aspects of our lives:

　　每天早起 30 分钟祈祷或阅读圣经中的一章。Wake up 30 minutes earlier every day to pray or read one chapter in the Bible.

　　每周有一次“没有电视/视频/社交媒体”的日子，而是阅读一本好的基督教书籍。Have a “No TV/Vedio/social media” day once a week and read a good Christian book instead.

　　抽出时间帮忙做家务。Make time to help out in the household chores.

　　每周留出一两天时间与家人一起吃饭。Set aside one or two days a week to eat with the family.

　　每天给一位朋友发信息，询问他们过得如何。Message one friend every day to ask them how they are doing.

　　为有需要的朋友（年轻的父母、年迈父母的照顾者、生病的朋友）跑腿。Run errands for friends in need (young parents, caregivers with elderly parents, friends who are sick).

　　选择一个事工，并愿意尝试新事物。Pick a ministry to serve in and be open to try new things.

　　花时间肯定和鼓励正在服侍的人，并为他们祈祷。Take time to affirm and encourage those who are serving, and pray for them.

　　抓住机会表达关怀：请他们吃饭，倾听他们的声音，邀请他们参加活动，为他们祈祷渡过难关，分享你的信仰之旅。Seize opportunities to show care: buy them a meal, lend them an ear, invite them to events, pray for them through tough times, share your journey of faith.

　　结语

　　不要等待“完美的时间”。 相反，要抓住每一个机会努力播种，把结果交在上帝手中。 人在陌生的环境中感到恐惧和焦虑是正常的，但“走出去” 的决定是永远不会太晚的，让上帝向我们展示祂比我们对祂的想象伟大得多。归根结底，我们的安慰在于知道，我们所侍奉的上帝比我们可能拥有的任何舒适区都更加可靠和安全。

　　Don’t wait for the “perfect time”. Instead, take every opportunity to sow diligently and leave the outcome in God’s hands. As humans, it’s normal to feel fear and anxiety in unfamiliar situations, but it’s never too late to “get out there” and let God show us how much bigger He is than our perception of Him. Ultimately, our comfort lies in knowing that the God we serve is far more reliable and fail-safe than any comfort zone we may have.