Beginnings are beautiful, endings are exhilarating but the middle? Yuk. No one wants to be there, right? Think about the beginning of a race. You haven’t even started sweating yet. You’re glistening with hope and have fresh energy for the road ahead. Then…there’s the ending. The sense of accomplishment and relief that you’ve completed something. Ahhhh…. And even if it was a hard thing, at least it’s done.
But the middle? The middle is where you start getting a cramp in your side. The middle feels like forever, like you’re at a standstill, It’s where many give up and it’s the place we don’t want to be. We’re not close enough to the end but too far in to go back. In the middle of a trial in your life, a problem, a project, a challenge, a traffic jam, a race, a recovery, a ‘season’, an argument, a delivery…Yes-even birthing something new into the world has a middle and it hurts. As you navigate the middle of whatever it is—remember God’s promise to be with you. You will not just GET through it but you will GO through it with the Lord’s protection, presence, guidance, and purpose. You’re going somewhere and forward is the direction through. Not around. Not back. Not stuck. Through.
The middle is where we find the God who doesn’t say, “good luck- meet ya at the end”. The middle is where we meet the God who goes through… with us.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you…”
Isaiah 43:2-5 NIV