Episode 9 - When God Stretches You Beyond What Feels Comfortable

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Download Episode 9 Reflection Guide

Show Notes:

When God Stretches You Beyond What Feels Comfortable

Have you ever been in a season where life isn’t falling apart… but it doesn’t feel comfortable anymore either?

In this episode of Glory & Grit, Stephanie talks about what it really feels like when God stretches you beyond your comfort zone. Not the polished version of growth—but the honest tension that comes with new responsibility, unfamiliar steps, and feeling unprepared.

Through a personal story of starting the podcast, this episode explores how stretching often feels like pressure, not purpose—and why that doesn’t mean something is wrong.

If you’ve been doing your best to stay faithful, but everything suddenly feels like “too much,” this conversation will help you understand what may actually be happening beneath the surface.

Because sometimes, the very thing that feels overwhelming… is actually preparation.

Key Topics

• Feeling Overwhelmed

• Growth Through Discomfort

• Being Stretched by God

• Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

• When You Don’t Feel Ready

Takeaways

• Stretching seasons don’t feel like growth—they feel like pressure

• Feeling unready doesn’t mean you’re unqualified

• God often stretches you before He expands you

• Discomfort can be a sign of growth, not failure

• You don’t have to feel ready to keep moving forward

• You’re allowed to grow into what God is calling you to

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Transcript:

Stephanie:

This is a mic thumper. I'm learning that God doesn't stretch us to overwhelm us. He stretches us to prepare us.

Hi, friend. Welcome back to Glory and Grit, where faith meets real life. If you're new to this podcast, a quaba, you might enjoy starting with the first few episodes. That's where we talk about the heart behind Glory and Grit. I'm your host Stephanie and I just want to say I'm really glad you're here.

I want you to think about all the seasons you've had in your life. Have you ever had a season where life was just moving along, nothing was falling apart, but things weren't exactly as comfortable anymore either? Today's episode, we're going to talk about a season in life where we may not always understand what's happening when it's happening. You just feel like something's being asked of you and you don't really feel ready for it. Are you ready? Deep breath.

All right, let's talk about it. So what's happening? Well, my friend, you could be experiencing one of God's most favorite ways of helping us begin the process of being stretched. Being stretched. And the hard part is that stretching doesn't feel like growth. What does it feel like? Well, it feels like a lot of pressure, all these things coming at you, deadlines and new things. It feels like tension. It's stressing you out sometimes. And it's a lot. And usually it's something you didn't ask for and you're not really ready for it either.

And it doesn't feel like something good is happening. It just feels like you're being asked a lot, that a lot is being asked of you at that time. Sometimes the hardest season to handle isn't when everything is falling apart, but in fact, when everything is working. But man, it's stretching you to what feels like the max sometimes.

I've had those seasons in my life in various categories, but one that sticks out right now as the freshest on my mind is this podcast. I have felt a lot of stretching to do this podcast. I mentioned it briefly a few episodes ago, but if I'm being honest, this has felt like a lot at times. When I first decided to do this, you know that, well, if you don't know, I was on a mission for two years for my church.

And when I was coming back home, months before that, I was trying to figure out a way that I could take my mission home with me. And one of the things, well, this is the thing that the Lord kept impressing upon me, do this podcast, this is something you can do. And I was thinking, no, no, no, that's not something I can do. I was hesitant, I was nervous about it, I was scared about it.

And so I did not jump in this, you know, with all the bells and whistles on. I had to continue to pray about it and figure out, okay, this is the path that we're taking. But it has been a stretching experience. I remember the first time hitting the record button, how I just kind of hovered over it. Like just... Press it, press it, press it. No, don't do it, don't do it yet. I'm not ready, I can't, I'm not ready. And I remember thoughts of, I'm putting this out there on the world wide web for everyone to see and hear and judge and tear apart and.

It, you know, there's a lot of things that come to your mind sometimes when you're being stretched. And there were moments when I just thought, what am I doing? Who am I to do this? Lord, I'm not the one to do this. What if I say the wrong things? What if I misquote a prophet? What if... People judge me harshly. What if they judge my testimony harshly? What if they judge the podcast harshly? What if no one ever hears it? Just on and on and all these things, overthinking it and trying to process. Yeah.

It was, this is a stretching experience. Okay. Even sometimes now I'll catch myself thinking, I'm not ready for this. This, I don't, I'm not, this isn't working. But again. There were times when after I set the launch date, which was March 8th, which was my birthday, and I figured that's the perfect time to do it. It could be a birthday gift to myself. And I remember thinking, no, you need to delay this. You're not ready. The room's not set. The lights aren't here. The microphone's late. You know.

No, it's not ready. And then enough came together to where I could do it. Everything? No. And even now there's still things that haven't come together, I set that date as a way of committing myself and letting the Lord know that I was going to. I was going to follow through with what he wanted me to do, even though I felt way outside of my comfort zone in doing so. And that first time, you know, after it was recorded, I hated it. I mean, if I'm being honest, I hated it. didn't think it should be aired, but I was on a deadline. I didn't have any more time. And just like I was hesitant to push the record button.

I was more hesitant to hit the publish button because I knew once it was published I could never take it back. I couldn't go back. I couldn't fix anything. I couldn't make it perfect. I couldn't do anything but just let it go to the world wide web and put it in the Lord's hands. But what I'm realizing is that nothing was or is actually wrong.

I'm not failing, I'm not being pushed, I'm just being stretched. Now granted, it's, like I said, it's way outside of my comfort zone. I think a lot of us end up in seasons like that where it's not that everything is falling apart. It's just that we're being asked, a lot's being asked of us, and it feels bigger than what we're used to, right? And it doesn't feel like growth in the moment. It just feels like pressure.

And I think that's where this gets confusing for a lot of us. Because stretching doesn't feel like something good is happening, you know? Stretching doesn't feel like growth. It feels like tension. It's like when something is being pulled wider than it's ever been pulled before, it's not breaking. But man, it does not feel good either. Can you imagine how a rubber band feels when it's in its state? I'm showing you my bracelet.

It's one of those stretchables. You see how it's here? I'm sure this is very comfortable and it feels nice. But when I pull it, you see how it stretches. Imagine a rubber band just stretching as you pull it. Well, I can tell by the feel of it that it's not necessarily liking that experience. It's giving way and it's going in different directions. So being pulled... wider than you've ever been pulled before, it does not break you but like I said, it does not feel good either. So what does it feel like? It feels like pressure. It feels like awkwardness. It feels like being out of place, Being too new at something like podcasting. And oftentimes it shows up and like opportunities that you didn't ask for, responsibility when you didn't plan on having any, like doors that open when you feel least least ready for them to open.

Sometimes stretching comes with new expectations and not only from yourself, but also from others and that others have from you. New visibility, like podcasting, you're being put in front of people that you don't know that you may never meet. Your visibility is now more out there for people. You have new responsibilities maybe. Again, not only to yourself, but to others. And then they have responsibilities to you that you have to be responsible for. And sometimes it feels like... it's more responsibility than you care to have at that moment. And it can definitely, definitely, I can attest, be uncomfortable. So if you've ever been in a place where you're like,

Why does this feel like so much right now? There is a very good chance that you're not doing something wrong. You're just being stretched. So here's the thing. It's not that you can't handle it. You just haven't had it before. What can make this even harder is that you still might not be feeling God. We talked about that in six and seven episode. You still, you may just be starting to obeying and taking that step like we talked about in episode eight. And now this.

So now you're being stretched while still not feeling anything. And that, that could mess with your mind a little bit because now you're starting to wonder, is this God? Is this too much? Am I in over my head? Well, let me share this with you. Here is what I'm learning. And this is a mic thumper. I'm learning that God doesn't stretch us to overwhelm us. He stretches us to prepare us.

So you can't be stretched, therefore grow in comfort. When you are in your comfy spot, everything is good. The world is good, the food is good, the places are good, the people are good, the job, everything's good. And you're not pressed to do anything because everything is just as comfortable as you like it. So there's no growth in that. You can't become who you've been called to be by staying who you've always been. That one right there. Stretching is preparation, not punishment.

God does not stretch you to break you. He is not trying to break you. He is stretching you to increase your capacity. And that's what I have to tell myself while doing this podcast. He is increasing my capacity to help me be what he needs me to be. Even when it doesn't feel like preparation and it just feels like pressure. If you're starting to feel the stretching and thinking about it, maybe you can flip your mindset a bit. Maybe this isn't too much. How about maybe it's more than you're used to?

Maybe you're not failing. Maybe you're growing. Maybe you are not unprepared. You're in preparation. Maybe. It's something to think about. And just remind yourself that it's okay if it feels uncomfortable. It's okay if you don't feel ready. It's okay if a part of you wishes it would slow down.

You're allowed to grow into what God is calling you to do. I'm going to say that again, just for the people in the back. You're allowed to grow into what God is calling you to. Have to remember that one for myself as well. If you're in a stretching season right now. You only need to remember to focus on just taking the next step, staying where God placed you. And letting the stretch happen.

This is not random. And growth doesn't always feel good while it's happening. Just remember, stretching doesn't mean something is wrong. It usually means something is growing. Isn't that a better way to think of it?

The scripture I'd like to leave you with today is Isaiah 54, 2, and it reads, enlarge the place of thy tent and let him stretch forth the curtains of thy inhabitants. God doesn't expand you without stretching you first. Remember remember remember God doesn't expand your life without stretching you first when you need a place to sit and feel this episode, remember the reflection guide is on the website.

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might also be in this stretching season. Please feel free to share the podcast, the reflection guides. And a prayer with those you feel could use an uplift today.

I'm your host Stephanie. Thank you so much for being here. And remember, glory doesn't come without grit. Bye now.