[par-uh-dahym]

paradigm shift 

-n  “a radical change in underlying beliefs or theory” (World English Dictionary)

It’s a catchy phrase that surfaced in the last couple of decades.  It was used initially by T.S. Kuhn (1922 – 96), an American philosopher of science.  As you can see from the definition, it signifies a change in thinking.  A radical change.  The result of a…

revelation 

-n  “something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.” (Random House Dictionary)

Both a revelation and a resulting paradigm shift can be a wonderful thing.  Such an experience can open new doors of opportunity.  It can blow a fresh breeze through a stagnant life.  It can be something that makes circumstances and situations better.

Then again…

What if you receive a revelation and it results in a paradigm shift that shakes some of your closest-held beliefs to the core?  What if it places you at odds with the generally accepted way of thinking?  What if that tension causes you to question some very important things in your life?  What do you do with that?

There’s more…

What if it’s such a radical change in thought that you’re afraid to share it with the people around you, lest they think you’ve finally gone ‘round the bend?  Or because it would totally mess up their plans for life with you based on the old paradigm which is their current paradigm? 

And then…

What if you do decide to gently broach the subject with one or two select people who you believe may have the most open minds, and they really do try and understand, but are so deep into the old paradigm themselves that the discussion turns into more of a “how can we fit what you’re thinking into the commonly accepted way of doing things” moment?  Or worse, they make subtle comments that indicate they believe it’s just a passing phase you’re going through and eventually you’ll come back around to the “right” way of thinking?  And in either case, when they look at you, you wonder if they’re sizing you up for an intervention.

Add to that…

What if you knew that the revelation was given to you by God?  Yeah, I know.  That even looks flaky on the page.  But what if God not only gave you the revelation which resulted in this paradigm shift, but what if you can look back over the last few years of your life and realize that He’s been preparing you for this revelation for quite some time? 

And then, as if things weren’t uncomfortable enough, what if you realized that God didn’t reveal all this to you just so you could ponder it to yourself in your spare time?  What if He actually expected you to do something with it?  How would you feel?  What would you do? 

Well, let me tell you…

You’d feel alone.  Completely alone.  And you wouldn’t know what to do.  And that, my friends, would make you one frustrated individual.

This is my world.

But you know what?  You’d also be really, really excited about what God might do if you kept moving forward with what you’ve been shown.  There’s something really exhilarating about throwing your hands up in the air and letting God take the lead even when what He’s showing you doesn’t match what you or those around you are used to.  Risky?  Yep.  Scary?  Most definitely.  Good?  ABSOLUTELY!

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ^ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”   ~ Mark 2:21-22