A simple light switch is a small yet very important feature in dwellings, indoors and outdoors. Can you imagine walking into the dark dwelling after a long day of work or a fun day at the park and not having a light switch to turn on the lights?

You have to walk around in your dark home until you find the first individual light bulb to turn it on in order to see. That first few minutes would be quite frightening I can imagine. Worrying every second about tripping over a couch or a random shoe left on the path. As more time passes, a comfortable routine develops of you walking around in the dark trying to find each of the light bulbs. I can’t imagine life without light switches. I feel like we would be really good at walking around in the dark or we would constantly be injuring ourselves.

When the light bulb was being created, there was no light switch that came with it. It wasn’t until almost 20 years later that the toggle light switch was invented, ever since then we rely heavily on the light switch and the light bulb. 

Living life intentionally outside your comfort zone is like flipping on a light switch, igniting the light bulb.

We first have to walk up to the switch on the wall, reach our hand out, grab the switch and flip it on. Enabling the light to do its job; to brighten up the home, so you can see. The light switch in this analogy is like the very edge of your comfort zone. If the light switch stays off, and there is no effort to try to flip it on you will most likely have a difficult time trying to find your way in life. You’ll end up walking around in circles trying to locate each bulb, potentially injuring yourself trying to find one little light bulb.

However, when you first make an effort to reach for the light switch, your mindset changes and you would have already breezed through the first most difficult action. You are able to imagine what it is like when the light flips on before it even does, and you begin to dream super big dreams, imagining, seeing and feeling the dreams coming true before they do. You begin to visualize the steps you think to take even before the light comes on and you are able to see the steps that are right in front of you.

When your hand is actually on the light switch, it’s like you’re standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to dive into the water or on the edge of the plane door with your parachute strapped tight to your body, ready to take the leap. This feeling is so scary, exhilarating and nerve racking. You have no idea what is going to happen when you flip the switch but you can catch a slight feeling living outside your comfort zone, right in front of you. 

Then you decide to flip the switch in your life, your hand is already on the switch why not just flip it on and see what happens. There is light. You can see and others can see you. You are able to see colors and the beauty of God’s creation. You are no longer walking around in a dark room looking for each bulb. If there are steps right in front of you, you can begin to take each step toward your goals and dreams. If there is a tall mountain in your way you can locate the path to cross it and conquer it.

Flipping the light switch in your life is like intentionally living life outside your comfort zone. In the book of John 8:12-14 (NIV) In verse 12 Jesus spoke out to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The verse really hits home in relation to intentionally flipping the light switch in your life. I love how Jesus speaks out to the crowd like it’s an open invitation for all to switch on their light and follow Him.  

Personal Example

Let me share a short personal example with you. When I first met my wife, we were at a mutual friend’s birthday party, not knowing one another. We barely spoke to each other and yet our eyes followed each other when the other was not looking. I was so scared to leave my comfort zone that I did not go up to her and ask for her number. I did, however, come up with enough gumption to greet her later on that evening and got her name. It was not until two weeks later that I got up the courage to flip the light switch in my own life and ask her for her number. It was the most frightening, exhilarating and innocent action.

I thought to myself before I met her, I was happy, being single and living life comfortably. It was not until I laid eyes on her that my old mentality and feelings developed into new ones. It was crazy because I would dream of us together and all the fun and crazy things we could do together for others even before I asked for her number. I was dreaming big dreams while I was reaching out for the switch. When I asked for her number and asked her out on a date, that was when I flipped on the light switch and I was able to see clearly the light beaming through her and through us. 

Ultimately, we all have flipped the light switch at least at one point in time in our lives, whether voluntary or involuntary. It can be one of the most challenging, difficult and scary risks to take. But when you decide to flip the switch in your life, it can make all the difference.  

Thank you for reading,

David Bond

Co-founder of The Simple Mission