“There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well.” – Nicholas Sparks
Living in the in-between. You know those moments – or maybe even months or years – when everything feels chaotic and disrupted and, well, complicated. Upside down. As if you’re stuck in a never-ending whirlwind, tossed about like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
I can relate. Recently, Tim and I purchased a new home. Which meant yet another move for us (And there have been many through the years. I’m kind of an expert packer and mover!). Although it was a happy and positive change of scenery for us, it nonetheless left us both feeling quite in-between, physically and emotionally. Half of our belongings were at our old house, and half unpacked in the new home. The stress was tangible.
It was a roller coaster of navigating time for our businesses, our children and grandchildren, and even ourselves, somewhere in the messy middle. And it was exhausting on every level.
But in those moments, in the in-between, we still must find reasons to hope – despite the overwhelming outward circumstances that have left us distressed and unsettled. And we must hold on as the storm rolls through.
After the storm that’s been our move, I’m happy to say Tim and I are beautifully settled into our new home. For us, it was a challenging few months. As we transitioned, we did our best to maintain a sense of joy and purpose, knowing that in the end, the in-between time would be worth the temporary discomfort we had been feeling. Looking out my office window and listening to the birds happily chirping, I can tell you it was worth every moment spent in the in-between.
Remember, our God sends rainbows after the storm. So while your situation may seem bleak, and your messy middle may look like the end – hold on. Those little moments in between that make you smile are little God winks, telling you it will not be this way forever. And He has gone before you to make a way.
“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
