“Blessed is the one . . .
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”
Psalm 1:1–3 NIV
Life begins and ends, and in the middle is the dash you find on a tombstone. The middle is made up of hills and valleys, victories and losses, seasons of dreaming and seasons of accomplishing.
And that’s where I often find myself — smack dab in the middle.
There are dreams and visions I have for my life that have yet to be achieved. I’m at a day job I don’t want to be at forever. I want to get married one day. I would like to have more resources to bless others with. And all of it is okay. Now is not forever.
I used to feel guilty about wanting more out of my life. I thought to want more was to be ungrateful for what I had or for the season I was in, but I realize now that I can want more and be grateful for today at the same time.
In Psalm 1, the psalmist says that the blessed person delights in God’s Word day in and day out. They meditate on it, and that allows them to be rooted in Him and yield forth fruit in season. Planting and harvesting is a process that only happens over time. When Jesus is who we seek, we will find Him in every season.
The best part about seasons is that they don’t last. If you’re patient and fully present in the season you’re in, there’s a new one right around the corner. And God is always doing a new thing.
So I’ve learned that being in the middle is okay. God is here with me and you, ready to fill us with peace in the now and hope for the not yet. He will lead us through it.
PRAYER
Lord, help me hang on during this middle season. Help me to seek Your face during this time when I long for more yet don’t want to go back to what was. Give me patience to be fully present right where I am and to see the new things You are doing. Amen.
By Karina Allen as published in Take Heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay
Karina,
The messy middle is challenging. So grateful God is with us.
Sending you joy
Lisa Wilt
Amen! Thank you Lisa for reading!
That is where I am too, in the middle. A few months ago I started coming out of a 9 year trial. And thanks to God I began dreaming again… especially to bear spiritual fruit for His kingdom and glory. I love (in)courage posts! Keep it up!
Thank you Amber for reading and sharing! We are grateful for you. Praying for His dreams and purposes in your life. Blessings!
Dear Karina…….
At 77 years old, I feel I have gone through my middle season. My middle season was probably the worst that I have encountered and unfortunately has carried over to the season I am in now. I must say that things have looked somewhat better, but there is still one very important thing that just keeps me in sadness. My husband with violent dementia and tried to kill me, so I had to move him out of our house of 40 years for my own safety. My son told me I was lying about his father and would not support me and disowned me as his mother. he was 53 years old and never even came to see his father. He also told me (and this was a phone call) that I would never be allowed to see or even talk to my 1 grandchild who was 11 years old at the time. He will be 15 this year. There has been no communication from either of them. I don’t even know what my grandson looks like and they destroy every single card I have sent him, doing it before he gets home from school. When my ex- husband was still talking to me, he confessed that to me and when they rip them up their go the checks or money I sent him for different occasions. Those checks were never cashed. Karina……….I do know now in this season that God is with me along with Jesus and my wonderful Holy Spirit who helps me so many times each day. So I pray for peace in this season and pray that somehow my grandson with the help of God will come back to me. I know they are working behind the scenes and I just need to be more patient. Thank you for your words and I send my love and prayers to you. I wish you a blessed week ahead as I now need to get ready for church. Sunday is always a day that makes me feel Their presence……Betsy Basile
Sister, I know my middle (and current) season is bitter but I hurt for you and yours. I will be praying for you.
Betsy,
I’m praying God will open everyone’s eyes to see how bad off your husband is. Asking God to change the hearts of everyone & bring some peace & calm to this situation. Not only is it hurting you, but the grandson as well. God is with you always. It may not seem like it at the time, but He is right there ready to hold your hand. Keep on trusting God.
Blessings 🙂
Thank you for reading and sharing Betsy. God knows your the hard season you have been in. Praying for Him to defend you and bring reconciliation and healing in only the ways that He can. may His grace and peace sustain you.
Love this reflection. It really is all about what we do in between the dashes; and it is about trusting God to see us through it all.
Love your prayer at the end. I’ll give it a big AMEN!
Yes and Amen Phyl! Thank you for reading and sharing!
Thank you!
Being in the middle can be “rollercoasterly”
But like you said, God’s ever present and walking in this consciousness brings stability and helps me stay grounded.
Thank you Sharon for reading! Blessings to you!
Karina,
You made me think about “The Dash” poem It talks about a friend speaking at a funeral. He referred to dates on tombstone the first was birth the last death. Then he mentioned the dash. The dash represents the rest of our lives. How are you spending your dash? It makes me think hard how I’m spending my time & my actions in this season.
I feel like you do Karina. My hubby & I are at jobs we don’t want to do forever. Plus I would love more time & money to help people out. For now I’m embracing this season & doing what I can when I can as often as I can.
Blessings 🙂
Thank you Beth for reading and sharing! I totally understand. Praying God’s grace sustains you.
And all I want to do is go back to what was…when I was happy and had family and felt loved. Nothing today brings me the joy I had and that is gone. Getting older alone is hard and quite frankly it sucks sometime. I’m in the dash and I just want to feel happy again.
denise – i appreciate your honesty in this statement “getting older alone is hard and quite frankly it sucks sometimes.” (especially because it’s true!) i hope and pray that joy and happiness envelope you in a way you never could have imagined.
JOY doesn’t simply happen to us, we have to choose joy & keep choosing it every day, especially when we are in that middle season. Shifting our FOCUS from our problems to His PROMISES…as we TRUST Him. SHINE God’s Light…God Bless!