At age 78, Miss Gay has thrown caution to the wind. She tried her very first Pop Tart last week – and loved it.

“I ate the whole thing!” she exclaimed. 

Oh, Miss Gay had heard plenty about Pop-Tarts. Lots of it was from me. (I had a love affair with toaster pastries for decades.) Yet, she had never once tasted even a bite.

So, on a whim, Miss Gay purchased a box of frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts. At home she opened one of the little bundles of goodness. She was pleasantly surprised at the sweet, delicious taste, confessing that she may eat the whole box. Not all at once, of course.

If this much-loved lady almost 80 hadn’t been willing to try something new, she would have missed a sweet treat, a blessing even. This isn’t a commercial for Pop-Tarts. It’s an advertisement for trying new things. 

Do you like trying new things? If I’m honest, sometimes new things scare me. Looking back, I realize I was afraid to take a chance on microwaves and then VCRs. I never used our first computer that came from Radio Shack. (It looked like it was straight out of the movie War Games.) When I was younger, I was too chicken to try Chinese food, sushi, and cheesecake, plus a million other foods. These days learning new technology makes my heart race but not with excitement.

Now that I’m older, my couch often calls my name and I long to play “The Floor is Lava.” Because of that, last year one of my New Year resolutions was to be flexible – not bendy, but ready and willing to get out of my comfort zone. Boy did I ever. 

It’s a scary thing to get out of our comfort zone. But if we stay there, never moving, we will miss out on sweet experiences God had planned for us all along (Ephesians 2:10). Almost like spiritual Pop-Tarts, they are unexpected, delicious opportunities.

If I let my fear freeze me in place, I wouldn’t have taken a job as a dental assistant 18 years ago – the most wonderful and terrifying job ever. I wouldn’t have gone on mission trips both far and near. I would have never, ever gotten involved in prison ministry. 

All through the Bible, God led people to do new things and go new places, even when they were scared. He promised to guide them and stay with them through the whole journey. He does the same today for those who follow Him.

Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds us: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” God is always doing new things, if we have the courage to take the step of faith and go with Him. 

Is God calling you, inviting you to serve Him in a new and unexpected way? It might be out of your comfort zone. It may be scary, but He can be trusted. He may just have a spiritual Pop-Tart – a sweet blessing or delicious adventure – in store for you.