Beyond Our Comfort Zone

Often the blessing we are waiting for requires us to stretch beyond our comfort zone. We all get comfortable with life like it is and change is uncertain. This week I counseled a young man from our church and I used one of my favorite Yogi Berra quotes, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Older Than Others His Age

This young man is older than most people his age. He knew who Yogi Berra was… a baseball legend who died in 2015. Berra was a catcher and manager who appeared in 14 World Series with the Yankees and won 10 of them.

Interestingly, we remember Berra for countless expressions, which at first to make no sense. Until, you look deeper and, then, each holds a valuable lesson. You likely have heard many of them, not realizing that Berra was the sources. Here are four that I like:

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”

“It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might get there.”

So, what is the meaning of the quote “When you come to a fork in the road, take it?”

Biography, Allen Barra, provides a wonderfully rationale for this statement. “While traveling to Berra’s house,” he said, “one may choose the left fork or the right fork and both are acceptable decisions because both efficiently lead to his house.” However, the quote was likely not original to Berra. More than 100 years ago, it was published in several newspapers as a joke based on two meanings of the word “fork,” one as a dining utensil. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” “I will, if it is a silver one.” This made more sense then, when dining utensils were often made of silver. This is not true today.

I find two relevant means with this quote that work for us today. One, involves the value of taking decisive action. Often people mule over a decision endlessly, sometimes locked in place, unable to move forward, because of the uncertainty of what lies ahead, particularly if the wrong decision is made. There is value in making a decision and moving forward. Right or wrong, you won’t know if you are standing in place.

Our Comfort Zone

For me, however, there is a more important lesson. It is likely one that Berra did not intent. It is about getting out of our comfort zones and hearing the voice of God, saying try something new. We often do the appositive, we stay with the safe thing. We do what everyone around us is doing.

It is true that God mostly speaks to us through his Word, written in the Bible, but we are to be more than hearers of the Word. We must also be doers. This means applying what we hear to our lives. It means being open to trying something new, something different. If we listen, God will speak to us, often, in a small voice, prompting us in a certain direction. Okay God, this seems weird; it seems crazy, but I’ll try it.

Many times that still small voice has sent me to the exact place I need to be for a blessing, to receive the “good stuff,” waiting for me. It has sent me to the right place to help someone in need. It has given me the right words to brighten someone’s day. Riding my bike down a street, it has shown me the perfect house for my family. One I can afford it and meets my heart’s desire, a large backyard.  I don’t even have to go inside to make a purchase offer.

Getting out of my comfort zone has resulted in more abundant blessings than I could have hoped for or even imagined. Thank God for the courage to try something new. My advice, take the fork. The “good stuff” waits for you when you listen to God’s voice.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

—John 10:27

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Victorious.