My grandparents had pecan trees in their yard when I was a little girl. My favorite memory was how my grandmother would create treat bags for Christmas using the tree’s fruit. She would give each of us a small brown paper bag with an orange, peppermint sticks, and pecans.
From time to time, my cousins and I would go outside to pick a few pecans up from the ground. I would gather my shirt in the front like a kangaroo pouch and stuff it with as many pecans as I could hold. Then I would rush inside and sit knee to knee with my grandfather so I could hurry to get to what was in the middle of the shell. My grandfather would crack the surface gently and then hand me the seed inside to eat. He would do the heavy lifting of opening the shell—not because I did not know how to use the nutcracker—but because I did not have the wisdom to know how to apply just the right amount of pressure to crack the outside shell without destroying the seed on the inside. When I would open the pecans myself, my lack of patience caused me to miss out on the fullness of what the pecan had to offer—I would end up with slivers instead of the whole.
This childhood story reminds me of how we can sometimes live our lives. We rush to get through situations instead of taking the time to slow down and savor the middle. The middle is not usually our favorite place to be and not a place that we typically celebrate being. We often prefer to be constantly moving or at least walking the path to our next destination. But may I submit that we are one of the generations currently serving in the middle? We are doing life after the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and before His second coming. We live smack dab in the middle (Revelation 22:16).
When we look at the middle through the lens of Christ, we see we have a Messiah that was born with the specific assignment of our deliverance (Matthew 1:1). His work as our Deliverer means that we do not have to live our life in pieces; we can come out of any experience whole in Christ.
Friend, He is “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11). Let’s permit ourselves to trust Him more deeply by taking the time to celebrate this time in the middle.
This was my church’s sermon Sunday. Sitting and reading the genealogy use to seem so trivial and just another step. But God used this line of people, who all have a messed up past, to ultimately lead to the birth of the savior. Praying God helps me remember I am more than my messy past, present, and future
Wow! As I read today’s devotional, my heart swelled for my for my light – my Sunshine. I am full. I am filled. I am still reading. I am still praying. I am thankful for my life’s experiences both good and not so good. I am striving to make the most of my MIDDLE!
happy birthday!!!
I loved this post again today. Feeling a faithful waiter is so important. Honestly might be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is wait. It brings me joy to realize all of our waiting’s are so different. My waiting is somebody else’s end or maybe even beginning. @Rhonda J. Love your comment today. Being a light for others is so important! You do a great job at that!
I haven’t been commenting recently, but still reading & praying for all of the requests! I love todays devotional – I feel I am always in a rush and anxious about what is going to happen next. I need to slow down & be patient & trust in the Lord & His promise.
Please keep me & my anxiety in your prayers.. it has been really bad these past few months and I thought it was getting better, but yesterday and today it has gotten bad again. I have started trying to stop and pray or read scripture when this happens.
The middle / the waiting / the liminal space can be beautiful because we know how this ends. ❤️
I LOVED being reminded of all the beautiful work that is being done in the middle! While we wait on what’s to come and rejoice for what has already been done. I’m thankful for my MIDDLE!
Easy to forget that the middle/in-between time is where faith is needed most. We want to rush because we want to get past the part where we need to have faith because we want certainty and speed. God us in the middle.