It is Friday again so that means linking back up with Lisa Jo and the wonderful Five Minute Friday community she hosts.
Writing for 5 minutes. Unedited. Raw. Real.
Won't you hold my hand and join me?
Here we go...
In Between
The In Between. I relate to this. Waiting. No longer where I was. But yet not where I will be.
When something you had is taken from you, you can either sit and long to be back there or try and find the journey to receiving back what was lost.
But in doing so, you end up somewhere new. Always.
Because of the journey. Because of the experience of seeking. Of waiting. Of being in between.
I know that in my life, I am in a definite time of in between.
And you know? As hard as it is, as hard as it can be... I wouldn't trade anything for what I have learned in this time of waiting. Waiting on health. Waiting on answers. Waiting on God.
It has felt like a long journey in the desert. I was somewhere that I thought was good, but it turns out, it wasn't where I was meant to be. My direction has changed. My eyes have been opened. My heart has been torn. Torn and rubbed with the sand of the desert. Hurt and made raw.
But because of that, I can feel better than before.
And in the pain, the wondering, and the real, I find hope. I see the light that this too shall pass.
I won't be in the desert forever. But right now I am.
So what am I going to do with it?
What will you do with it?
I pray we can embrace it. Learn from it. And seek Him - the True North - to bring us through.
Most of what matters in life doesn't come through big moments. Change
happens gradually, over time. And the vehicle for our transformation is
an unexpected one. We learn our greatest lessons from delays, setbacks,
and inconveniences — through waiting.
At a time when our culture is calling us to hack our way into
greater productivity and efficiency, what we may need to do is the
opposite. To slow down. As we do, we may learn that it's not the
experiences of a lifetime, but the life in the experiences, that
determines who are and what we will become.
THE IN-BETWEEN is a call to embrace the importance that waiting
plays in our lives, a reminder to be present and acknowledge the lessons
life is trying to teach us in the slower moments.
Welcome to the wait.
- Jeff Goins
If you liked what you just read by Jeff Goins, consider pre-ordering his book called THE IN-BETWEEN and by doing so get a bunch of free stuff from him! Check it out here!
And if you missed last week's Five Minute Friday, hop on over to Unforced Rhythms of Grace
My family has two pugs, Levi and Bailey, and they love each other. Well at least Levi loves Bailey... Bailey tends to be pretty self-absorbed. My mom had to take Bailey to the vet today and Levi was beside himself. I was resting in bed and I could hear him frantically running around and crying in the kitchen. He is going blind and because of that rarely goes on our deck as one time he fell in the pool but today he went racing on the deck, tail between his legs, looking for Bailey. I saw this happening and I felt so sad for him. Levi and I have a special bond as I got him when he was just a puppy. Whenever I used to come home from being away at university, he would get so excited and stick by my side. So seeing him so upset broke my heart a bit and made me muster up enough strength to go get him from the kitchen so he could be with me. I knew once he got over himself, he would settle down and be happy to be with me. As I let him out of the kitchen, he ran around the house continuing to look for Bailey. I called him meekly and he came running back to me. He stayed right beside the bed but continued to howl, clearly distraught. He continued in this manner no matter how many times I pet him, told him it would be okay, said she was coming back soon and hugged him saying that I was here. He would leave my side for a bit, run around the house again, and come back after I would call him again. To any onlooker of this situation, they would say Levi was a mess. He was frantic, inconsolable, crying, and going blind, and only has three legs. And I would agree that he is a bit of a mess but that would never stop me from wanting to use the energy I had to console him, be with him, and love him.
I realized I was kind of like him. I too am a mess.
I too run (figuratively... but hopefully literally again!) around in circles in a panic at times. I think about different situations way too much. Wondering what my doctor may tell me next or what a test result may be. I think myself silly sometimes. Once I found out I was going to have a head CT, I could not help but think about the brain tumor they could find or the infection they may see (thankfully neither are true as my results came back saying I have a nice and normal brain). I wonder why things are happening to me, why I am stuck in bed, why I have been single so long, ... All the while God is calling me, caressing me, and saying "It is going to be okay" just like I was telling Levi earlier: "Shhhh... everything is going to be okay... just be still and wait."
Hearing that everything happens for a reason, that everything will work out, and that all happens for the good of those that love God, can be hard to swallow amidst suffering. Amidst the times when something is taken away. Amidst the times when life seems to fall apart. But I began to think about how I could say those things to Levi with such confidence.
I could say those things because I knew Bailey would be back soon. I knew that if he just sat and stopped worrying, he could receive my love and be happy. I knew that he was being irrational and just needed to be still and listen to my voice.
Then my eyes were opened a little more and I began to understand why God could say those things. I know that God knows inconceivably more than I can begin to even imagine. He knows the outcome will be good - He knows in the end good wins. He knows I will be fine even if it means I continue to physically suffer for a time. He knows that in heaven there truly is no more suffering or pain or tears. He sees me now and says "Be still."
He says, "Wait on my timing, wait for me."
In the running chaos, I too often miss His calm whispers: "I love you and have a plan for you."
"You are mine...
Listen for my voice...
Be expectantly patient for Me...
Wait for the joy that comes when you stop, hear, and listen...
You need only to be still"
