Paradigm Shift

Ever heard the term "paradigm shift"? I hadn't until very recently. The phrase seems to be one of those marketing buzzwords that you pick up on from time to time. The term apparently dates back to 1962, to a man called Thomas Kuhn who wrote about progress in terms of a series of 'revolutions' - fundamental (sometimes, potentially violent) changes from one way of thinking to another. Each paradigm shift represents a transformation, a metamorphosis.

I understand the importance of transformation in someone's life - so perhaps that's why this stirred something deep inside me when I read it. Just think about it. A fundamental change to the way that you live your life. Reformation. Revolutionary thinking. Real, drastic, bold change. A paradigm shift.

After what has been an extremely challenging start to what always works out to be the busiest month in my calendar year - the thought of some drastic change in particular areas of my life sounds awfully attractive to me right now. But the actual process is more than a little scary! And what to keep, and what to throw away?

"I believe in transformation,

God can change the hearts of men,

And refine the evil nature

Till it glows with grace again.

Others may reject the weakling,

I believe he can be strong,

To the family of Jesus

All God’s children may belong."

(SASB 324, verse 2 - John Gowans)

Seeking Perfection - part two

Part two of my thread on perfection centres more on the subject I touched on briefly last time - that of procrastination. Seeking to be better in any area of your life is often a challenge, so it's no wonder that people so often put things off. Like tidying that cluttered room in your house! Sometimes it's a case of not knowing where to start - sometimes it's trying to finding the right time, the right circumstances.

The recent email about seeking perfection (remember my blog entry last time?) recalled a talk on the subject by Pastor Rick Warren, leader of a church in Southern California. A procrastinator, he said, is nothing more than a frustrated perfectionist. The logic went something like this:

• A perfectionist is convinced to prove his or her worth by being perfect - to seeking to attain perfection.
• The fear of being unable to achieve that prefection leads to procrastination.
• Procrastination eventually leads to paralysis. You know what you need to do, even how to do it, but because you can't complete that first part well enough, you end up doing nothing.

Do you end up doing nothing because you feel what you do would be less than perfect? There is a way forward...

1. Realise that no one is perfect - no-one but God. You don't be afraid to make a mistake. Remember the quotation from Albert Einstein:  "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. "

2. Let go and let God! If it is outside of your control, then why not let God handle those things. It takes a lot of faith to let go of those things over which we have no control. Faith like that described in Hebrews 11:1.

3. Learn to be content in your current situation. Life can't be lived in some far-off perfect future. It must be lived today, which means in less than perfect circumstances. Accept that. Love the moment, and enjoy the journey. Dump the pressure that says you must be perfect to be accepted. Just listen to the following quotation: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." (Edward Everett Hale)

The bottom line is - if you are seeking perfection, forget it. What you need to do is seek progress. Why not try and take the first step. Even if you fall over, you have probably gained a couple of steps in the process. Then pick youself up and take another, and another. Before you know it, you will be making terrific progress. Not perfection, but progress!