Joy in between

Change is unsettling. The unknown can leave us anxious and restless. But it doesn’t have to. What if those times are for rest? Like the Selah in a Psalm. What if the gears downshift to give us a minute to lean into God? What if we could find joy in the in between?

Perhaps you are in between jobs right now, and you aren’t sleeping because you fear you won’t find a new one — and you are waking up with a ball of stress in the pit of your stomach. But what if these mornings are used to get closer to God? What if you get up and spend time with Him before you jump into your daily job search? What if you attend a weekly Bible study while you have the time?

Or maybe you are in between relationships and you feel lonely and sad. What if you use this time to work on a different relationship? With no distractions. What if you spent those lonely evenings at home worshiping and digging into the Word? What if you let Him focus you on who you are in Him? What if you join a community of believers and serve there every week?

Maybe this is a different kind of in between. Maybe your children are all grown and gone. The you that you once were is no longer needed. Maybe you feel like you’ve done what you were here for and now there’s just no purpose or passion in your life. But what if…what if this time is for you to rediscover you? What if God has something He wants to download into you?

What if you approach this time with excitement and expectation for the future? What if He hasn’t even begun to show you the incredible things He has planned? What if these days are for you to breathe and be? What if you and God sit together a while so He can bring new dreams to life in you?

What if, in the in between, we do what Proverbs 3:5 says? What if we actually do trust Him with all of our heart? What if we don’t lean on our own understanding — we don’t let our thoughts control our actions. What if we seek Him first every day and we let Him send us where He wants?

What if, instead of struggling with the unknown, we realize that nothing is unknown to Him. Then we could lean in close and let Him lead.

What an adventure that would be!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5