I have encountered far too many people over the years that are living beneath the dignity of their calling. Like an invisible chain connecting them to their past, life is going on without them. All around people they know and interact with daily are growing and progressing. They, on the other hand, are get passed. They are not stepping up they way they need to and everybody knows it.

I often wonder how it happens. Is it the frustration of a delayed dream that becomes so overwhelming they quit? Did they just not have enough grit in them to stand up and fight? They didn’t get “picked,” so they stopped? Others did not open the doors for them that were promised? Were they mistreated or misrepresented? Did they think it would be easier than it actually is?

Then it hit me.

Usually, it is not the external factors that tranquilize passion, but the internal ones. I am now convinced that most problems stem from unresolved pain that we do not process correctly. It is not about what happened to you; it’s about how you handled what happened to you. We avoid it, or ignore it, or meditate on it, or get angry about it, etc. The responses are various and sundry. But the point is, we do whatever we have to in order to keep from staring it in the eye and dealing with it.

Instead, we pack it in. We hide it. The only problem is, pain cannot be hidden for very long. It starts coming out in all kinds of ways. Everything in your life goes south since your last traumatic event, and you don’t know why. Your entire persona is the outworking of something internal; be it good or bad.

Here is the bottom line: you cannot change what you will not confront, and you cannot confront what you will not identify.

Instead of pretending to be strong and avoiding it, instead of burying it in your memory and calling it “forgiveness,” instead of blaming others… look it in the eye. It’s time to deal with it. It’s time to be honest and say that traumatic experience rocked your world, and you haven’t recovered. They hurt you so deep, you were so disappointed, you feel so jaded, etc.

Then take it to God, with remarkable candor, and get yourself set free. Quit waiting on a word or a service, and for sure don’t use it as justification for being critical or carnal. Go to your prayer closet. Face it, then replace it. Your destiny is waiting on you.

So, what’s holding YOU back?

Shifts are crucial to move forward. Fighting the shift is fighting the progress.

Everyone experiences those moments when life is moving at a comfortable rhythm, you feel as though you have located your sweet spot, and you are happy with the current state of affairs. Everything seems to be falling into place. You have gotten a grip and you are making strides. You have the money, the friends, the house, the church, the job, etc. that makes you feel content.

Then it happens.

It’s never fun, but it’s always necessary. In the middle of your comfort zone, you sense the winds of change; that subtle nudge telling you that a shift is coming. Our first reaction is usually to ignore it hoping that it will go away. We pray past it, worship past it, talk over it, read over it, etc. It is amazing how effective that still small voice is at piercing through our activity. It does not matter what you do, the whisper is actually shouting: it’s time for a shift.

Shifts in life happen for the same reason shifts in automobiles do. When driving, as you reach your top speed in one gear, you have to shift into another gear if you want more acceleration. You can only go so fast or so far in your current gear. It is essentially limited in its ability to propel you forward with the thrust you need. Stay in first gear, and a one-hour drive becomes a five-hour drive. You can continue to move at a speed that is safe and manageable, but it will take you longer to get to your destination.

Destiny is seized by a series of shifts. You never get to stay in the gear you start in. Once you sense a shift, don’t fight it. Your next level is waiting on it.