In Between

Most of us prefer beginnings and endings.  The start of something is full of hope and possibility.  When we get to where we are going, it feels like we can finally relax and celebrate.  We prefer black and white, hot and cold.  Grey and lukewarm are challenging for us.  We often call this the “messy middle.”  It’s the place in between the start and finish where things are much harder to define.  It’s the place where decisions aren’t obvious.  Things are pretty clear on the day we declare war, and on the day we win.  On the days in between, we can find it nearly impossible to accurately size up a situation.

And yet that’s where life is lived - in between.  That’s where the battles are fought, the muscles are built, the grit is developed - in between the beginning and the end.  The Bible locates us in this “in between” space as well.  We are in between the promise and the fulfillment.  We are not who we used to be but also not who we will be.  This is indeed a messy place to be.  It lacks the concreteness and hard edges that we seek.  It is filled with pain and sorrow and temptations that will finally be vanquished by the destination.  Still, this in-between path is a good one.  In between is where God makes us who we are.  In between the full bloom of summer and the barrenness of winter is the beauty of fall colors that delight us.  As we walk toward our destination, our destination walks with us.  The Savior we are becoming like is not just the destination.  He is also the Way.