Shifitng Paradigms

Hello again! I cannot believe that I have not posted for 3 months.... I have missed you very much! I didn't realize how much blogging had become a part of my world until it was removed. This has been an incredible experience.

I am about halfway through this adventure that God has called me to. It is strange to think of all that has happened in my life and heart.

When God calls us to something new, He so often calls us beyond ourselves, and in the midst of that calling, our lives, and thoughts, and hearts change. Have you ever 'felt' your life change? Have you ever stood in a moment and realized that you are different now than you were even 10 minutes ago? A few years ago, I got a CD from a Christian Group (not even sure if they are still together), and one of the lyrics is "I stand silent while my paradigm keeps shifting", and these lyrics run through my head constantly. I have had almost daily moments where I can almost feel my heart changing, or I KNOW that my paradigm has shifted.

I believe that God is always working in our lives, and everyday in the humdrum and mundane even, He has a purpose and a plan. Psalm 139 says that everyday is accounted for. I used to think that meant He knows how many days I will live, and while that is true, I think that there is more to it than that. I think that sometimes we underestimate God's thoughts towards us. He knows what you are going to be doing today, He knows that you were going to take this 10 minutes and read this post... and guess what..... He has a purpose for it, and He knows where it fits within the context of our lives!

When you or someone around you has a major change in circumstance like they go on a missions trip, or they move away, or something cataclysmic occurs, it is often easy to see the changes that occur in their lives, not because the change is more dramatic, but perhaps because the circumstances create a spotlight for us to see the changes because we are looking for them. I know that with this opportunity in my life, I will return to the 'real world' and people will spend time watching for changes, seeing how my time away has changed me. Interestingly enough, though, before I left, I had been through a season of major change as well, but my circumstances didn't change, and so no one seemed to notice.

I say that to encourage you, scrutinize your responses to things, be alert to your thoughts, and think back to last year, or last month, or perhaps even last week and see how different you are. If you are exactly the same, you might need to look at that and question why (maybe you are well adjusted and in the right head space, and don't need changing... if that is the case, please email me and I will turn the reigns of this over to you!), or perhaps you will be amazed at how much God has done in you in such a short time!