Greetings, Blogland! Well, it's been a mighty long time since I've written (about 6 months or so, to be exact), and I'm mighty glad to be back! I have reasons and they could either make a whole lot of sense to you or none at all. It's been super busy (and also super stressful) during my time away and I've been trying to "right the proverbial boat," so to speak. Pastor Singleton said something yesterday that really captured part of the true reason I've been away - to avoid feeling like a hypocrite. Yep, you read right.
My pastor spoke about it in the context of being a CPA and advising clients on financial planning at past times in his life when his own finances were not in the best of condition. Similarly with me, it strikes a chord in both my professional and spiritual life. But Pastor Singleton went on to say that God admonished him: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 NIV
Now what's funny is that I had no intention of including this, but well, here it is. So maybe it's God speaking to me as well (also an inordinate amount of pins in my Pinterest feed today also repeated this theme...).
Which brings us to the subject of this post (which I started writing on April 24th, no fooling, "The Middle."
Middle is defined as "the point or position at an equal distance from the sides, edges or ends of something." There is a sitcom on the ABC network called "The Middle" (one of my favorites, actually). It is about the Heck family: middle-age, middle class, in middle America facing the day-to-day struggles of home, life, work and raising children. The thing is, this family is always one step forward, two steps back, forever staying in the middle. For fans of Lord of the Rings, "Middle-earth" refers to the inhabited lands of men between the seas, or Middangeard. The central idea of being in the middle is "between." You've heard the cliche, "between a rock and a hard place," which has sometimes felt like the theme of my life here lately...
It's very easy to be joyful and spiritually on point when things are going well, we agree?
When there is no adversity, no health challenges, no financial challenges, no issues with your children, no job struggles, no relationship struggles, no housing issues- it is very easy to stay upbeat, joyful and resolute in where your faith, hope and trust lies. I'm sure we can all agree on that. Some of you would even boast that you could keep it together if one of those challenges were to strike. But what about several or even all of them and all at once??? If you're human, your resolve just might start to weaken a bit. You might begin to wonder if God has forgotten you as the days turn into months and perhaps the months into years. Especially if for every step forward, you find yourself getting pushed two steps back, until you find yourself stuck in the middle.
This thought and feeling of being in the middle has been with me for awhile. I sometimes truly cannot understand why I have been given some amazing gifts and unbelievable dreams, courtesy of God Himself, yet I live in the land of "dreams deferred."
Several years ago (seven, to be exact), I attended an Ecumenical Worship service for NPHCC at Harmony Community Church in Chicago and heard my first sermon preached by Pastor James Brooks (Pastor J). The title of the sermon, I believe, was "Alpha and Omega," or the beginning and the end (See Revelation 1:8; 22:13). The sermon struck such a chord with me that it led to me going back and subsequently joining that ministry, and still this day, I remember it like it was yesterday. During the sermon, Pastor J illustrated God being the Alpha and the Omega by having someone stand on either side of him. As he walked to the left, there was a person in front and one behind. When he turned to the right, again there was a person in front of and one behind. The point he made was this: because God is the Alpha, He is always there in front of you clearing the way, and because He is also the Omega, He is always behind you, making sure you are not overtaken (paraphrasing here, I'm without my notes).
So what does that mean exactly? It means that for the believer, the "middle" isn't such a bad place to be, because it means that God is protecting and shielding you as you go along your way. It means that He's fighting battles ahead of you before you get there, and that He's also behind you, protecting the flank. In military tactics, a flanking maneuver is "a movement of an armed force around a flank to achieve an advantageous position over an enemy. Flanking is useful because a force's offensive power is concentrated in its front." In other words, the enemy attacks the flank or rear, because it is where one is most vulnerable. But, because God is the Alpha and the Omega, you, in the middle, are never vulnerable or unprotected. God has no weakness and in His omnipresence is able to go before you and be behind you at the same time. Take that, devil!
All great and well, but what do we do with this information? I'm glad you asked! What it means, in my humble opinion, is simply that God has this. It means that we (I) can confidently and boldly go forth with the things He has placed within us (me), because He is in front of us (me), clearing the way, even though we (I) can't see it. It also means that even though the enemy's weapons form and try to attack us (me) on the flank, they won't prosper, because God is behind us (me). He is indeed, the Alpha and the Omega.
To anyone who feels stuck and at times uncertain (like me), know the middle is not always the bad place it may appear to be at first sight. Rather, the middle means you are between God's grace and mercy as the Alpha and Omega, and that you can courageously and fearlessly move forward in whatever it is He called you to do. Does it mean that everything will go your way? Nope, not at all. But what it does mean is that you can be secure in the knowledge that God has you, no matter what it looks like in front or behind you. Ted and Sheri did a song called "Work the Middle" that illustrates what we are to do in the middle (unfortunately I can't seem to find a link to the song itself, but it's on their 2001 album, the healing starts right here - go check it out on iTunes).
Listen, as I have always been, I will continue to be transparent in telling my story. I refuse to let the devil's minions of pride and embarrassment deter me from sharing what God has put in me to share. The Word says they were overcome by the word of their testimony in Revelation 12:11. And while I by no means have it all figured our or even half figured out, I will not fail to glorify Him by keeping silent, even in the middle. I hope that this post encouraged someone today. I had to smile to myself as I wrote it. We simply cannot allow the enemy to make us feel defeated, no matter where we find ourselves.
Well, since it's been awhile, holla at your girl just to check in! And be sure to pray for me - I have my 46th birthday coming up next week, the oldest teen graduates from high school in a few weeks, and there is all manner of things on the horizon that I am trying to wrap my head around! Be blessed!!! xoxoxoxo
