2 Sundays ago, 27th of March 2011, my friend's dad came to Singapore to preach in my church.
His topic was about getting out of your comfort zone.
I think that this topic is highly relevant to what I am facing now in Singapore..
After a discussion with a few friends last Saturday, I was left with this question : What is considered to be my comfort zone? Why is it so important to grow out of it?
I believe that I have already moved out of my comfort zone when I went abroad to study in Singapore. Life in Surabaya is like heaven compared to my life now. I have people at home who would be there to clean up my room, my toilet, wash my clothes and iron them, prepare my food, wash my dishes etc etc - you get what I mean.
However, I got the scholarship and life changed. I have to stay in a hostel (boarding school is a more commonly-used term) where I have to do my own chores!
I need to clean (this includes sweeping the floor and mopping it) my own room, scrub and wash my own toilet (the shower, toilet bowl, the sink AND the floor), wash and iron my own clothes, take my own initiative to get my dinner and at the same time juggling between academics and CCA.
Yep it was hard during my first few months in Singapore. I had to totally change my lifestyle. Even the way I get around town is different. No private cars nor driver available (very, very common to have a private car in Indonesia). Instead, I need to take public transport which sometimes can be very annoying and slow.
My point is, my life was super duper comfortable (please the bad use of English) in Indonesia. . But then God decided to move me to Singapore where everything is the opposite of comfortable. Even my social circle in Indonesia was perfect to me. I had my friends in Petra and church who were always there for me. Here? I barely knew anyone when I first came. He took me out of my comfort zone.
For now, I have adapted to the hardship of life here, trying my best to make the best out of what I can have here and made good friends in church. My comfort zone has shifted. But I don't think this is will remain true. Life here is ever-evolving.
Just when I was able to completely adapt with the routines of a student life in Singapore (waking up at 6AM, going to school until 6PM, dinner then study time), things changed. I became a Secondary 4 student. Being the graduating batch, the school started placing even more pressure on us, wanting us to excel our O level exams this October. I also had to change roommates and room in the hostel, demanding time from me to adapt again. Not to forget the SYF (mentioned in previous posts, Yes I got in the team), demanding more time for CCAs.
Next year, I would yet move again to another school and hostel and I would need to adapt all over again. the same thing would happen again on my fourth year here. Adapting and adapting and adapting all over again.
This showed me, as I reflected over the past 1 year and 5 months in Singapore, that God placed me here to continuously shift me out of my comfort zone.
but why?
Simple, He wants me to be a better being.
As God shifts you away from your comfort zone, you are expected to do something more than what you normally do. From not having to iron my own clothes, I had to start to do so here. This actually stretches your capability and improves your character. You will learn how to persevere and depend on God to give you strength. You will not just lay back and think that God is not involved in your daily life.
An example given to me was: imagine if your comfort zone was you having 3 meals a day. Imagine one day He decides to move you out from that comfort zone and you have to really work hard for even 1 meal a day. When you can eat even 1 meal, you would definitely thank Him for it. When you are used to having 3 meals a day, having 3 meals a day is not something special. You would not see it as a gift from God.
This is what I experience here. When I had nothing to hold on in Singapore, God gave me friends who supports me in my ups and downs here. He cares for me in all simple ways and I thank Him for that.
The only thing that is constant is change - Mr Joseph Pratana, MDC Singapore
