Shift Your Life into High Gear!
We all go through “seasons” in our life.
Things change, and so do we. New interests motivate us. New relationships influence our behavior. New literature challenges our thinking.
Suddenly, we find our self at a crossroad in our life. We look around and begin questioning our feelings, the choices we are making, and how they influence our life. We feel the "need" for change; but how and why?
Relax. This is all a part of living and growing. This often leads us down the path towards transformation – a chance to experience new life. But before this can happen, we must get ready for the possibility of being swept off our feet. Change can shake up our life and everything we believe.
When our closely held assumptions are shaken; leading us to an entirely different way of thinking and acting, we experience a “paradigm shift” – a chance to shift our life into higher gear.
The word paradigm comes from the Greek word (paradeigmia) which means pattern or example. We all pattern our lives according to beliefs and values held deeply with our heart. We also think and act according to examples that we admire and trust. These patterns and examples govern our lives and influence our behavior.
In many ways becoming a Christian is a "paradigm shift," where everything we once accepted as real, true, and important is called into question by the claims of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible. As Christians we experience a "paradigm shift" or radical change in our thinking and our behavior.
The Apostle Paul encourages us to follow through with these "paradigm shifts," which lead us into a transformation process that changes our lives and influences others.
In terms of our thinking Paul says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NIV)."
In terms of our behavior, Paul says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18, NIV)."
To further illustrate this transformation process, Peterson writes in The Message, "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you (Romans 12:2)."
I want to talk more about paradigm shifts in later blogs. I realize that many people are calling into question their fundamental assumptions about church and ministry in the 21st Century. You may be feeling all alone in your thoughts and feelings.
I invite you to share your comments. Share how you shifted your life into high gear.
