We are in the middle of simplifying and downsizing when I come across a sweatshirt circa 1991.
“LANE. This was my favorite sweatshirt when I was eight. Honest to goodness, I wore it every single day of third grade.” It occurs to me how many years it’s been since I was that age, and I sink to the floor as the shocking realization hits:
“Um, babe. Do you realize we’re coming up on almost thirty years since we were in the third grade? THIRTY.”
“Yep.”
“Is this actually happening to us? Are we actually getting older together?”
Typical to us — me the emoter, he the stoic — his response is matter-of-fact: “Yep.”
And it’s true, it’s so true.
Our life has taken a number of twists and turns, but we’ve done it together and that’s what counts most right now. Somehow, both suddenly and slowly, we find ourselves in our mid-30s, in the middle of raising our family, in the middle of our life, really.
Some might call our life an adventure, but from where I sit, we’re just doing what we’re supposed to be doing. We do what we can to bring a little more light than there was before we came along, and we do it by putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time.
It’s this “one foot in front of the other” part I think about a lot lately — this very ordinary nature of moving forward. As it turns out, it’s quite a bit harder than it appears, and I don’t think I’m alone in this.
Beginnings tend to have a surge of adrenaline, an the excitement of newness, while endings have the resolution and redemption of a finish line. The ordinary middle tends to be unglamorous, a lamented exercise in fidelity where there’s no other way to go but through it. The middle is when discipline tends to wane, when other options seem a little more tempting, when we begin to look to the right or to the left.
The Israelites knew this dance well.
Throughout the Old Testament, God continually and kindly instructs them on how to live life well, knowing their human tendency to long for another path. He reminds them to stay the course, to continue on. He knew they might start to wander if they saw a path that looked easier or someone else who didn’t have it as hard. He knew they might turn clear around and go right back to Egypt if they wandered too far from His path.
I’m like the Israelites. I look to the right and to the left all the time. My wandering heart could use a little binding, truth be told. I look at kids with different temperaments, couples that get out on more dates, careers that don’t require such transience, and I long for them. Jesus, not surprisingly, offers a solution:
Look at Me instead. Run the race I marked out for you, and keep your eyes on Me.
Such is the nature of moving forward, of putting one foot in front of the other: the ordinary becomes sacred. As we walk the path laid before us, we become more attuned to the voice of our Guide telling us, “This is the way, walk in it.” The middle becomes less mundane and more purposeful. It becomes the place where we cultivate deep resilience and align our hearts to the presence of God. It’s where we’re always be guided by Love itself, and I’m finding that as long as I’m being led by Love, He’s taking me exactly where I need to go.
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Michele Morin says
Sarah, thank you for this encouragement to stay faithful even in the unglamorous, unsung part of the journey. I can remember when it occurred to me (at some point along the middle road) that so much of obedience is just plain showing up and doing the next thing in the power God provides.
Singing alongside you from the old hymn book, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it/Prone to leave the God I love.”
And trusting along with you that God will keep us faithfully on the path He has ordained for us in His great love.
Lynn Panepinto says
Thank you Sarah for this reminder that when we find ourselves in the middle of the journey, we need to set our eyes on Jesus. I struggle with the desire to quit when the middle gets too hard. I realized that it’s because I’m looking at the “glamour” of everyone else’s journeys and wishing mine could look the same. Meanwhile, I’m missing the view of the roadside that Jesus intentionally led me down for that season. You are right, it’s putting one foot in front of the other and staying attuned to God through each step. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of how beautiful the middle sector of our journeys can be when we are focused on Jesus.
Sarah Sandifer says
Absolutely with you in this, Lynn. It is so easy to look at what it seems like others have, and therefore view our lives through the lens of scarcity. But there’s so much abundance right here, right now, for us, huh? On this journey together, my friend. xo
Lynn Koukal says
Once you give Jesus your heart he cares for it, always & forever
Lynn Koukal says
No matter what, where,or when, it’s His true promise
Lynn Koukal says
No one will ever love you like Jesus, getting to know Him is amazing
Sarah Sandifer says
So glad you’ve discovered this, Lynn. It’s so true!
Sarah Sandifer says
I so agree, Michele- we want the steps laid out so clearly before us, but sometimes just plain showing up is often so simply the next step.
Lynn Koukal says
The life journey is learning He is always with you and loving you
Sarah Sandifer says
So seemingly simple and basic, but a truth that need I reminded of daily. Makes such a difference!
Lynn Koukal says
The only difference that really matters
Sincere love’s
Provisiin
Meghan Weyerbacher says
Sarah, this captures so much of where we are right now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, or — in the middle. 🙂
Blessings to you, xoxo
Sarah Sandifer says
Oh my word you are just darling, this made me smile. Can we be friends? 😉