Paradigm Shifts

A paradigm is a set of assumptions, concepts, values, beliefs, motivating convictions and practices. In a very real sense, our paradigms uphold our sense of self and under gird the expression of who we are.

This is why it is scary to find one's paradigm, one's 'modus operandi', being challenged or shifted. For many people, fear and insecurity causes them to shut down and stop listening. In some cases this may be the right thing to do. However, the challenge remains to overcome fear; to trust in the faithfulness of God when He said He would lead and guide you, and to have confidence in your own capacity to discern and learn and grow throughout your life.

When I became a Christian, my paradigm underwent a global shift in both perspective and application. This was 'conversion' - a strong word when you stop and think about it. Looking back, I can see how the way had been prepared. God had been at work. Aslan was on the move. The hounds of heaven had finally caught up with me, not a moment too soon.

Reading John Holt's wonderful books caused a similar shift in perspective. Before I read them, I stood in one place, but now I found myself in a different place. My paradigm had shifted, and it was impossible to be again who I was before this happened. Like the words attributed to Martin Luther, I now find myself in a place where 'Here I stand, I can do no other. May God have mercy on me'.

Not that I mean to imply that I was passive in this process; not at all. Ideas are like a banqueting table, and I am at liberty to decide which foods to accept and which to reject as I see fit. However, an idea, once ingested, feeds my mind, and I come eventually to a place where I must either accept or reject the conclusions to which it comes.