It’s a beautiful grace that worldviews can change!
The one you hold now is probably different than the one you held at an earlier stage in life. Each metamorphosis likely came one clash at a time.
A Christian worldview, formed by divine revelation, is arrived at decisively… and often through much wrestling. Because it so starkly contrasts worldly views, paradigms must scuffle to shift.
In fact, a change in convictions can be so drastic, it causes inner turmoil. Often, the aftermath of clashing worldviews leads to an identity crisis. (Because crashes usually ricochet beyond the collision site.)
I think Moses underwent a few such crises.
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)
Moses likely held one view about himself and the world around him when he was being raised in Pharaoh’s household (Exodus 2:10). But that must have changed drastically when he discovered he was Hebrew (Exodus 2:11). As he sat at that well in Midian, he must have been so terribly conflicted (Exodus 2:15)!
His worldview likely changed again during his 40 years in Midian as a shepherd for his father-in-law, a Midian priest (Exodus 3:1). And then again, after he was commissioned by God to bring His enslaved people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10). I reckon confusion provoked him to repeatedly question God at that burning bush. Did his series of questions stem from what he errantly believed about himself, Egypt, and God? Was his earthly view clashing with a heavenly one? The confrontation left Moses doubting. Questioning. Wrestling with God.
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (Exodus 4:1)
Moses didn’t know what to believe about himself, which further caused him to wonder why anyone else would believe him (Exodus 4:1). (Seems like a common malady.)
God extended such grace and patience to Moses every step of the long way to faith in God… to deliverance. God gradually transformed his worldview—one revelation at a time. The Egyptian worldview Moses held under Pharaoh’s reign was demolished. God unequivocally proved, in showdown after showdown, that only He is the One True God. He revealed the truth of Moses’ identity, as God’s treasured possession. And He established Moses’ purpose as servant of the Most High God.
A Christian, too, must confess a new King and declare loyalty to a new kingdom order. They, too, will undergo a series of clashing worldviews. Like when one worldview dictates that this life is all there is, it will have to contend with the truth about eternal life and the resurrection. There are the opposing views of lifestyle and what it means to be blessed. Or that a person can fabricate their own truth.
These philosophies, and others like them, may well be the catalyst for an ensuing crisis, of the identity kind. When the ideology of one worldview determines value by algorithm, and worth by wealth, it will inevitably collide with the counter-cultural doctrines of the kingdom of Christ.
If you are questioning your identity and purpose, could it be because you are experiencing a head-on collision with opposing belief systems?
That’s where discipleship is so necessary—for the win! Because when you study the teachings of Jesus, you soon realize they clash with our world, culture, and our own internal philosophies. But when you study with other disciples and work through them one by one, bringing them into the light in a compassionate environment, you’re better posed for success. In that nurturing space, disciples encourage and equip one another to breakthrough the collision.
Moses was thrust from being a lonely shepherd in obscure Midian into a showdown with a powerful king as God’s vessel to lead millions of people to freedom. It rocked his world. And placed his perceived identity – kicking and screaming - into God’s transformative hands.
God’s mercy toward Moses is the same mercy He extends to all. The Lord has revealed the truth of identity, value, and purpose in Scripture. It is there for all who seek it. It is a Word that renews the mind. It brings clarity… stability. For in it God has proclaimed who you are. And who you are really is so much more glorious than what the world tells you.
But one worldview may have to crash into another before you come to believe it.
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