“The in-between”

Wouldn’t it be great if all of life’s decisions happened in the black and white moments 

Some life! 

But then what about those grey areas where the answers are not as straightforward as you’d hoped or the path isn’t quite as clear as you expected it to be

What then?

How do you then manoeuvre the space in-between?

This “in between” is often the place we find ourselves in 

The place where nothing seems to make sense or nothing seems to be going the way we “expected” it or even wanted it to go

And let’s be honest at this point we can find ourselves doubting whether or not God is actually with us 

It’s as if we we always expect him to justify his presence by him getting us out of tight spots 

What if in those tight spots God is trying to build your faith?

Also, what if he is trying to show you the magnitude of his Grace and his love for you?

Just because you can’t physically feel his presence doesn’t mean he’s not there 

This empty space can make you forget all the times that God came through for you when he didn’t have to 

It can make you forget that through all your past fires that He was the one with you through it all

He was the one standing next to you and guiding you 

It can make you forget the promises that He made to you long before 

We’ve all been there, at least I have 

We’ve all gone through or go through seasons of plenty and seasons of little 

We’ve all been caught in the middle at some point 

Struggling to see how God could bless us so much at times only to just leave us here in the middle 

In these times it’s important to remember that God promised us that he has a plan for us but he never said it would be easy 

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 it says that 

(8)We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; (9)persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed

The in between is not meant to destroy you 

It’s merely a transition into something greater, something more, a new season!

Yes, you may not understand why it’s happening but God is trying to build your character through it 

And one thing we often forget is that it’s okay not to understand and it’s okay not to have all the answers but we serve a God who has reason for everything you go through 

We serve a God who has all the answers 

And that should be enough

God may just be trying to tell you that in order for him to bring you into the purpose he has for you you are going to have to go through some “fires” and “storms” of life 

But he’s promised to always be with you 

To never leave you nor forsake you 

Don’t get me wrong he’s not always going to hold your hand through it 

But he’s given you all the tools you need to fight and persevere

No story ends in the middle 

The middle is usually where the climax of the story starts 

It sets the tone for how the story will pan out from there 

The “in-between” is your climax where God is setting you up to win 

He doesn’t intend to keep you there nor does he intend for you to be harmed 

You are just passing though 

Isaiah 43:2 says 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you

Even if the situation that you find yourself in isn’t ideal God will come through for you His way 

Notice the “His Way”, which means that he will be with you but not necessarily the way you expect it 

God doesn’t operate in the realm of what is convenient for you but rather what is he believes is right for you in that moment and for your life 

And that’s the definition of Grace

God’s Grace is all that we aren’t 

Even what we are, that’s all Him 

It’s what gets us out and covers that in between 

It’s that light in the darkness and that peace in the storm that fills that empty space in the middle despite our current situation 

To end, there’s a quote from Chris Davenport of Hillsong United that I’ve been meditating on:

“God’s Grace is not a reactionary force that comes into effect when we come short— it’s the breath in our lungs, it’s our next step, it’s our next decision.”