4-4-21 Shifting into Place

Quote: “Shifting: As you are shifting, you will begin to realize that you are not the same person you used to be.  The things you used to tolerate have become intolerable.  When you once remained quiet, you are now speaking your truth.  Where you once battled and argued, you are now choosing to remain silent.  You are beginning to understand the value of your voice and there are situations that no longer deserve your time, energy, and focus.”

Shifting.

Let me tell you what I think of when I think of the word “shifting”.  It takes me back to an early evening in October 1989.  I was freshly 11 years old. I was in my bedroom when all of a sudden everything started shifting.  And when I mean everything, I mean everything.

It was an earthquake.  And a big one.  My dad had to guide me down swaying stairs as he tried to carry my little sister.  The steps were shifting back and forth, back and forth, making the handrail of no use.  Dishes were falling off shelves as we desperately tried to get out the door.  Once outside, we realized it was just as scary.  Loud car alarms were going off, a horizontal crack started appearing across the side of our house, and a wall separating our neighborhood from the freeway began to crumble.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake had rocked the state of California, killing 67, injuring 3,800, and causing close to $6 billion in damage.  Our school’s roof caved in, bridges collapsed, and even the baseball World Series game was interrupted.  The aftershocks were the worst.  We spent many nights sleeping on the floor beside our parents’ bed, waking up thinking it was another big one.  Our piece of mind had been rattled, all because of 15 seconds of the shifting of tectonic plates along the San Andreas fault.

Shifting is uncomfortable.  I am in this stage of life right now and so I can really relate to this quote.  I came to a point in my life where I realized I needed to do some major self evaluation on the trajectory of my life.  I didn’t understand my purpose.  I was stuck in a never ending cycle of making lunches, working, running kids to sports, and then falling asleep at night thinking, wow, I can’t wait to get up and do this all over again!  (That of course was said with sarcasm.)

This quote makes you think about WHO you really are and WHAT you really stand for.  It makes you ask some pretty tough questions.  Am I the person I really want to be?  What am I tolerating?  How long will I keep silent?  Do I keep fighting the same battles over and over?  Am I using my voice?  Am I making the best use of my time?

If you are at a point in your life where you are asking yourself any of these questions, you are in the same boat I was in about 8 years ago.  I’m still in the boat, but I’ve been rowing that boat for some time now.  Before my feet hit the ground every morning, I have to remind myself that another new day means another 24 hours of new adventures.  You should try it!  I have found my voice.  I know my time is precious.  I don’t have time for drama or anything that lessens my impact on this planet.  I have a mission.  Come along with me or don’t.  I’m here to make this planet a better place than when I arrived in 1978.

Come join me!  As I said, the shifting is uncomfortable.  It’s hard to step out into new territory.  It’s scary to take a stand when you see injustice or evil.  It’s tough to keep chugging along when you feel attacked.  But there is power in realizing your role.  You welcome the shiftiness.  Why? Because you can turn around and look back at all the shifty, shaky steps you took before you got to where you are and who you are today…and you see that it was totally worth it.  Make small steps if you have to, with wobbly knees and shaky shoes. but take that step.

Paul, one of the missionaries that first spread the word about how Jesus had died on the cross and then rose again, says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  He knew his buddy Timothy needed some encouragement to continue on with his mission.  He knew future people would need lifting up as they were shifting their thoughts to a purpose driven life.

Come along with me and enter a season of life of shifting into the person you were really meant to be!  I will help you by praying you through it.  You can do it!