Living in the In-Between

There are moments when you must face some realities. When I was about to give birth to each of my babies, I had a moment where I turned to my husband and said, “Oh my goodness, I’m actually going to have this baby now!” It seems humorous 20 years later but at the time it most certainly was not. Sometimes, it's easy to deny the reality of the inevitable.

I am currently living through another season where I need to face some realities. I call it, “The In-Between”. My son, Andy, and I were discussing the Netflix show, “Stranger Things” yesterday. Our whole family is really into this series. We can’t wait for season 3! The show is a bit scary but I love Sci-Fi. There is an alternate reality in the storyline. It’s another dimension called, “The Upside Down”.

We referenced the show because Andy and I were talking about how hard it is to wait for things. Andy began college in September. He’s an awesome guitarist and singer/songwriter. He’s studying music and sound engineering, definitely in his wheelhouse and passions. I’m happy that each of my kids are pursuing careers in fields that they can use their talents. My prayer is that they are fulfilled and their lives are used for God’s purposes.

I told Andy that I know the place he’s in. He's dying to be doing what he wants to do in his field but needing to spend time honing his craft. Sometimes life feels like it’s upside down and we’re living in the “in-between”. I mentioned to Andy that we all live in these seasons. Seems like we’re always waiting for the next “thing” in our lives.

In her book, “Even If Not: Living, Loving and Learning in the In-Between” Kaitlyn Bouchillon states, “If you find yourself in between one thing and another, changing from who you used to be into who you are becoming, how will you live in the messy, beautiful middle? And what if the middle pages hold storylines that wound and surprise? Is God with us on those pages, too?”

She goes on to say that we need to learn to let go of trying to figure out the ending of your story and instead lean into the faithfulness of God. No matter what page of the story you find yourself on, believe God could come through for what you are asking of Him and you'll trust Him... even if not. Click below to see Kaitlyn's book:

Waiting is difficult. It makes me think of the story I love about the “Refiner’s Fire”. In ancient times, a refiner began by breaking up rough ore—hardened rock encased with common minerals such as tin, copper, and zinc. Within the rock, there was valuable, rare metals hidden, the precious metals of gold and silver. The breaking of the rock was necessary to begin the refining process to expose highly valuable metals to heat.

The refiner puts broken, crushed ore into a fireproof melting pot able to withstand extreme heat. Then, the refiner places the pot into the furnace at the precise temperature necessary for removing other metals that would mar the quality of the gold or silver. The refiner watches carefully as the ore melts in the pot, a layer of impurities called “dross” eventually forms on the surface.

After the refiner painstakingly skims off these impurities, he then turns up the heat and places the pot back into the blistering furnace. Each time, with utmost skill and patience, the refiner removes the dross, leaving behind gleaming gold and shimmering silver . . . more pure and precious than before. To gauge his progress, the refiner looks for his own reflection on the surface of the silver-filled crucible. The more dross removed, the less distorted his reflection.

It may not be pleasant during the difficult times. It gives me great hope and comfort knowing that God has His eye on me throughout it and wants to help. He carefully refines us so we reflect Him. Trust His process.

Be patient because God is in the waiting, in the In-Between.