So I clung to Him, and I’ve grown a ton in the process. The only thing familiar thing I had here was God. My family, friends, warm weather, and tennis career were 2,000 miles away. The best - and hardest - part about entering a life phase that was so uncomfortable was that I no longer had a familiar context that I could rely on to make my bad days better and my good days even more joyful. That can be a source of support when we need it, but it can also limit our development. Comfort zones make it easy for us to grip onto things around us in difficult times. Stepping outside of your comfort zone forces you to grow. It’s definitely not a comfortable or easy path, but stepping out in faith has allowed me to learn important lessons that I wouldn’t have learned any other way: 1. Leaving familiarity behind and setting out with nothing but complete trust in God has given me the freedom to say yes to whatever He asks of me and discover who I’m truly meant to be. This life change has been the most daunting, intimidating, and difficult experience of my life - and yet it’s also been the most liberating. Upon testing that stirring through prayer and reflection, I received a profound sense of peace, so I leapt. The persistent stirring in my heart was calling me to leave familiarity behind and take a job in an uncomfortable place. While tennis brought great joy to my life for many years, it’s also all I knew. I knew true joy came from following the path God has for me - not by staying complacent in my life circumstances just because they are comfortable and familiar. But I did need to listen to the stirrings of my heart. It was okay to be scared of the unknown and uncertainty that comes along with change. I came to understand that I didn’t need to have everything planned. But through much prayer and time in silence, I heard a clear call to trust God.
#LEAP OF FAITH PROFESSIONAL#
These thoughts swirled through my head as I discerned ending my professional tennis career last winter. What if I gave all of it up and moved somewhere new to a new job, new city, and made new friends - only to discover I hated it? Would I have regrets? I also loved Florida, the place where I grew up and where my large and close-knit family lives. I excelled at it, and the sport has always been there for me. Something deep within me wanted to explore something different - to know what else is out there - but I was afraid.
Like everyone, I went through big life changes - graduation, moving, loss, relationship struggles, and the like - but I was never truly uncomfortable. Prior to this new chapter, I lived in a comfortable bubble. In the process, I have found that it wasn’t foolish to trust the voice that was calling me outside of my comfort zone.
It was a true leap of faith as I had to completely trust that I’d find what I’d need here. But this past February, I left all that behind to move 2,000 miles from home to northern Indiana where I knew only one, single person and my job did not involve hitting a fuzzy yellow ball over a net.įor me, this move was a step into murky waters - I was unsure of whether I would even like this new stage in my life. It involves being surrounded by family living in the “sunshine state” of Florida and playing competitive tennis, a sport I’ve played since I was a toddler. I have a very clearly defined comfort zone.
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