The SHIFT

To shift is to move is to change. When you’re driving, the engine shifts between gears. The Earth has plates that move. We feel this in the form of an Earthquake. Some are stronger than others. It’s moving from one location to another, even if it’s just a fraction of an inch. If you sit in your seat too long at work, you may shift your body to be more comfortable. When a baby grows from a newborn to a toddler, they shift as they grow and develop. This is also the same with our faith and relationship with God. We are called to progress and move forward. When my husband and I decided to get married, we shifted our relationship from a single monogamous connection to a bonded unit. This took some changing on both parts. I no longer conducted myself as a single woman, but as a wife who allows herself to be lead. When I became a mother, my life once again, shifted to become a person to nurture my daughter and a role model as she grows. God calls us to continue to grow in Him, and with that comes change. We are not to be stagnant and stay in one position too long. We are to grow and shift, and the stronger we get in our relationship with Him, we can help others develop their strength as well. The Bible says “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16) Our shift is to be that of forward movement. I have a 1 year old who refuses to walk on her own. She’s not ready to make that change yet. However, the more she sees her siblings run around and go from place to place; she too has started to have more faith in her own two feet. Even when she stumbles, she gets back up and tries it again. But it’s also possible for us to down shift or decide not to shift at all. Our own stubbornness to change and grow will deprive us of the blessings he has in store for us. And some shifts are harder to acclimate ourselves to than others and take more time, but the more we lean on Him and use the tools we’ve been given in His word, we can all move forward.