In Between

I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father (John 16:28).

As joyful shouts filled the air and palm branches blanketed the road into Jerusalem, no one seemed to realize that Jesus was in transition. Like the seismic shift of tectonic plates in the earth during an earthquake, the landscape of human history was tilting and changing. And Jerusalem was the fault line. 

Jesus was entering the space in between, a place between The Way Things Used to Be and the Way Things Will Be. Between an earthly home and a heavenly one.

He had made this shift before through the power of labor and delivery, His newborn cry piercing the atmosphere of the planet He would call home for 33 years.

But now His work was approaching completion. He was about to return to His Father.

According to my holy yoga teacher, who each week guides us in Biblical meditation and prayer as we down-dog and flamingo our way to greater peace, the in-between place is the place where strength increases. When we are in-between positions, we have to work harder to maintain our stillness. And in this transitional place, we grow stronger.

Jesus was fully human and fully God. The happy shouters hoped He was also going to be fully king. He would be, but not in the way they imagined. He would become the King of kings for all humanity.

But in this space in between, He needed strength. He would soon sit down to supper with friends who didn’t understand what was happening. After they had eaten, in Alicia Britt Chole’s words, Jesus would wash the feet of “a betrayer, a denier, and ten deserters” (see 40 Days of Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole).

Jesus was not beyond emotional pain. In the garden, He wept and cried out to his disciples, “Can you not wait with me even one hour?” (Matthew 26:40). The space in between can be lonely. 

The space in between requires focus. Submission. Obedience. The One who was both God and Man was not exempt. He understands what you and I are feeling in the transitional seasons of life.

Have you ever found yourself in the middle space? Between one ending and another beginning? In the pause place, on the winding, dusty road just outside the walls of your breakthrough, the gate not quite yet in sight?

Take a moment. Focus. Look up. In the distance you will see the Savior, humble and gentle in heart, making His way through the place in between on a donkey. He once said,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

The space in between can be brimming with stress and anxiety, fear and worry. But that is not Jesus’ way of traversing that space. His way is rest. Trust. Submission. Obedience. #Lent #PalmSunday Click To Tweet

Take a deep breath. Be still for a moment and receive His rest. Let the in-between space fill with His peaceful presence. 

As we begin the final holy week leading to Resurrection Day, leaving the past behind and looking to the future, let us pause and be strengthened by the Savior.

Lord, thank You for understanding this, too. I welcome Your presence into my in-between spaces. Lead me up from here with Your peace. Amen.

@audreycfrank