Revival: Timely Paradigm Shifting
“The master commended the dishonest manager… For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:8-9)
You are warmly welcome!
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘paradigm shift’ as an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way. Revival means some king of starting afresh, with new energy, sometimes on a new paradigm. In fact, all these are paradigm shifts which indicate or require revival: a change of job, change of school, change of business, change of close social circle, getting married, getting born again. Think about which change is coming your way soon. Timely paradigm shifting is important, and missing that timing can be disastrous. Preparing for paradigm shifts is as important as the shift itself; trying to jump when not prepared my cause one to end up in a dangerous ditch. I think about the shrewd manager of Luke 16 as an example of one preparing for a paradigm shift.
There is a paradigm shift implication in the instruction ‘Arise, shine!’ As you get up to arise and shine, one possible hindrance is poor health – and this can be physical or psychological health. Under psychological/ emotional health, possible hazards include stress, depression, or even on a slightly larger scale, midlife crisis – a serious problem in our generation. I have lined up three sermons, one in each of these three months before Easter, to focus on managing midlife crisis, as a way of promoting good health in which we can serve the Lord and shine to our best.
According to a Forbes Health article, a midlife crisis is defined as a period of emotional turmoil in middle age, around 40 to 60 years old, characterized by a strong desire for change. It is brought about by events that highlight a person’s growing age, inevitable mortality, and possible lack of accomplishments in life. This is sometimes a result of a paradigm shift missed or not well-prepared for. This may produce feelings of intense depression, remorse, and high levels of anxiety; or the desire to achieve youthfulness, make drastic changes to their current lifestyle, or change past decisions and events. It may cause people to make mistakes – abrupt resigning from a job prematurely, staying on a job in which they are unproductive or even counter-productive, throwing tantrums at home and injuring family members with anger and frustration from work, even getting into extra marital affairs!
So, how can I detect the right time for the required paradigm shift? And how can I manage midlife crisis safely? God gives us great guidance and insurance, as I will share in detail in the next follow up article on this subject. God bless you abundantly!