I am not a lover of black coffee. So… this is not quite YET how I love my Starbucks drink. It is not as bitter as it started – yet it is not as sweet as it will be. It is somewhere in the middle.. the in-between…It is “IN PROCESS.”
As the busy summer/fall photo season descends upon us, I thought I would give a short little update on myself since last year when I couldn’t really physically shoot. I feel a bit like that coffee. I feel like I am in the middle – in a lot of ways…I am thankful to be better physically (and shooting!) and yet I know this isn’t the end result – yet. I have hope for even better!
“IN THE MIDDLE” is a phrase that likely sums up how many of you must feel during various seasons of life. I am not sure it is the same as actively waiting –To me it is more of a resting in a place that isn’t the worse – and isn’t the best – it isn’t the beginning and it isn’t the end – and a knowing that it won’t be this way forever.
Maybe your middle is in between a diagnosis and a healing…
Maybe you are single and wanting a relationship but the right one hasn’t come along yet…
Maybe you are waiting to hear back on a job or a test result…
Maybe you are trying to decide on college and where you will spend those exciting days after high school – but they don’t feel so exciting yet because there is so much unknown or maybe it doesn’t seem possible and you wonder how it will all work out…
There are plenty of stories of people In the Bible who were in the middle…Mary, Elizabeth, Job, Lazarus, etc…
My In the middle is a place of wavering between feeling stuck and frustrated and wanting to know all the details of how this story of mine unfolds – Being in the middle, I consciously decide to not be discouraged but to rest and cease to strive beyond what I can control. I don’t just mean just the physical things but all of the things swirling around me and I am sure you have things swirling around you too. I am choosing to trust the author of my story who promises me so many things like –
possibility, provision, protection, peace
companionship and comfort, completeness
enduring love, direction, grace, strength, and rest.
I am resting in knowing how my story eventually ends as a follower of Christ – It ends in eternal life in heaven – no suffering or confusion. I don’t understand it all but I can rest in knowing that and trusting God’s word.
I pray you can rest in the place called “The Middle” too. I pray for you it is a place of hope.
Here is a link to The Bible app if you don’t already know about it. It is a fabulous resource. There are some great Bible reading plans on different topics – one even called “The Middle: that I saw the other day. (which was crazy since I had just been writing about it.)
Some of God’s Promises
- He will direct my steps. (Prov. 16:9; Prov. 3:5-6)
- His plan is perfect. (Jer. 29:11; Psalm 138:8)
- I can trust Him.
- He provides. (Phil 4:19)
- His grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness. (@ Cor. 12:9)
- He strengthens me. (Isaiah 40:31)
- He gives me rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)
- He is my perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)
- I can be still. (Psalm 46:10)
- He will never leave me. (Deut. 31:8; Joshua 1:9)
- He carries my burdens. (I Peter 5:7; Psalm 68:19)
- He is my refuge and protection. (Psalm 46:1-3)
- My Way-Maker. (Isaiah 43:19)
- His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)
- With God, all things are possible. (Luke 18:27)
- He will complete His work. (Phil. 1:3-6)
- It will all be worth it. (Romans 8:2
