Happy Friday to all my favorite people!
It has been a little while since I have taken the space to write, but I am excited to update and share where I’m at and what I’m learning right now, now that I’ve made it just over a year into this whole real world thing. My prayer is that I continue to write while processing through each piece of what the Lord is revealing to me.
If you’ve read any of my blogs from this past year, you would likely recognize a few themes, but all that speak to life in the “unknown” seasons, so navigating the unknown, staying faithful in the unknown, and surrendering in the unknown.
New seasons inevitably usher in many unknowns and oftentimes strip us of many knowns. I think we can all agree on this, but today I want to shift our focus to the in-between. In other words, the space between the new and what lies ahead. And yes, I just laughed at myself for writing that, because I do realize that no matter where we are in life, we are always in the “in-between”. This is the space that takes place between the many transitions of life that, over time, make up the entirety of our lives. Isn’t that crazy to think about? We get so caught up and fixated on the next thing, that we’re rarely present in the space that we are currently living in. And then, one day, we choose to slow down for a second and look back, and it is then that we think to ourselves “where has time gone?”
I wonder how our present life could change if we chose to live with an intentional awareness and appreciation for the current in-between space that God has divinely placed us in for this time?
Believe me, even as I’m writing this, I’m thinking through all of the things that I want to change and take control of in my own life. In all honesty, I don’t want to live in the now. I want to push fast forward on this chapter and move on already.
It takes an incredible shift in thought. We have fooled ourselves into thinking that the next season of life will fulfill all the aches and pains in the current one. It’s like running a marathon that never ends. We think to ourselves, “if only I can make it to the next mile” and we do this over and over and over again. I hate to break it to all of us, but the next thing is not a reliable or fulfilling solution. The next thing will only introduce new aches and pains that we didn’t even know were possible.
So, back to the in-between. I have recently found myself here, weighed down by the mundane of my present, but also the unknown of where I’m heading. I feel tension between the two, as I’m sure many of you do too. It can be a really difficult balance to navigate. So, now that the routine is no longer new, and the schedule has set in, and the place is familiar, and the people are known, you’d think that I would maybe take a chill pill and enjoy it right, but I have found that the fear that accompanies the unknown of the future can still be very present and burdensome. This fear is persistent and it likes to follow us around and make itself at home… if we let it.
I have found myself asking questions similar to these,
- “How do I stay faithful in the now while dreaming of what God has next?”
- “How do I take steps of faith, when God appears to be nothing but silent?” and,
- “How do I not let the unknowns of my future weigh me down?”
If these questions sound familiar, you’re in the right place and I pray that these words relieve some of the weight in your own life. I may not have all the answers, but what I do know is that I am there with you, believe me. And, I have found, sometimes that’s all we need – the comfort of knowing that we’re not alone and that somebody else feels the same weight that we do.
We like to think that we have God all figured out, right? We paint a picture in our minds of what our life will and should look like, and we convince ourselves that if God doesn’t abide by our timeline or our agenda that somehow He is in the wrong. I often sense a lot of entitlement in my relationship with God. But, do we ever stop to realize how limited our human perspective actually is? We love to think, plan, and make decisions based on where we’ve been in life and what we currently see in front of us. Yet, as Christians, there is so much hope in the unseen. This is where God works and where we trust. He is not limited to the circumstances, people, or timeline of this present world. Isn’t it absolutely amazing to think that God has divinely planned each and every one of our steps before we were even born? I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” This realization answers each of the questions listed above, but maybe not in the way we would like.
I want to make the effort to paint a different picture in our minds. Imagine with me that you are sitting with the person that loves you most (besides God). Now, imagine that this person has been given insight into the rest of your life. For example, where your next job will be, or the exact date of your wedding, or when you will finally be introduced to the child you’ve prayed years for. I could go on and on, but get this, they can’t tell you any of it. That’s the one rule. Knowing myself, I would beg and beg for them to tell me, or at least for them to give me some kind of hint, warning, or signal. But, only after so long I’m sure I would reach a place of burn-out and give up. It is in this place of giving up my need to know that I’m sure the other person would feel a lot of relief. I’m sure that I would focus a lot more on being with this person while finding comfort in their insight, rather than trying to figure everything out. Do you see where I’m heading?
In other words, when we lay down our need to know, we free ourselves to sit and focus on the One who knows all things. You see, I actually think our lack of ability and knowledge to both know and see into the future is a blessing. It should propel us into the Lord’s presence even more. I think this paints a beautiful picture of dwelling in the presence of our Heavenly Father. He waits to love and reassure us and desperately wants to hold our hand with every step that we take. There is so much peace in His presence, not because we have mastered every detail, or figured out how everything is connected, or finally have a perfect explanation for why things are the way they are (or aren’t). Or because we have made all the decisions and have finalized all the plans. How devastating if we spend our lives this way, completely missing the point.
There is a better way. There is peace beyond our understanding because we are sitting with the One who is peace. There is freedom in not making the calls. There is freedom in not holding the pen. And there is freedom in giving up and entering yet again into a state of humility that begins at the feet of Jesus, with no need or desire to know, but with a heart that only worships His knowing.
I’ll leave you with this piece of application. I have recently tried to apply a prayer from a book that I’m reading, and the prayer is “God, put me where you want me and help me to find contentment there.” A simple prayer, but one that significantly shifts my focus. It’s not about us. It never has been. I encourage you to sit with the Lord, to share this prayer with Him, and to watch Him work in your life through it. He’s amazing and deserves all the glory through our life story.