I stepped out on the front porch early this morning as hubby left for work. All across the front flowerbed little icy crystals sparkled with beauty in the reflection of the house floodlights. It looked like hundreds of tiny little diamonds sprinkled all across the front! It was so beautiful!
It was still dark as hubby drove off for work, and yet … the sky was just beginning to come alive to the east.
I stood at my kitchen sink, sipping my hot coco for breakfast and watching the sky grow ever brighter and brighter. I wondered if the sunrise was going to be spectacular? Should I pull on my coat and hurry down to the end of the road?
In the end I settled for the warmth of my cozy home and the beautiful (though somewhat limited) view through the trees from my kitchen window.
Dawn … it’s an “in-between” place.
A place where it’s not quite nighttime. And yet it’s not yet daytime either.
There is so much beauty in the “in-between” place of dawn! This is where all the glorious sunrises happen! This is where the dark shadows of the mountains contrast so epically with the ever-changing, ever-glowing sky to the east! It’s amazing!
And it happens in the “in-between” place.
As soon as it was light enough to be able to see, I pulled on my coat and headed outside in search of more beauty in the “in-between” place.
Here you can see the Spurge plant in our front flowerbed.
Is this not stunning!? So much beauty in the “in-between.”
The water droplets aren’t quite liquid … and yet they aren’t 100% solid either. If I ever so slightly touch them, they melt away in an instant. They are “in-between.”
Once the sun comes up, this beauty will be gone. This unique, special beauty is reserved solely for the “in-between.”
I crunched across the grass which was covered with a light frost. Have you ever paused to bend down and study grass covered in frost? To be honest, I never have.
But I did this morning.
And check out the beauty I discovered …
Once again, this is an “in-between” place. Not quite liquid. And yet not quite solid either.
When the sun rises and daylight comes, this beauty will be gone.
But for now, the beauty exists.
Hidden … “unseen” … except to those who are looking for it.
The spectacular beauty found in the “in-between” places can only be seen by those who stop … pause … and bend down to look for it.
Have you ever been in an “in-between” place in life?
Sometimes “in-between” places feel like “frosty” places … just like the frost which we had all over everything this morning.
It’s cold! It was cold this morning!
So also, our “in-between” place in life can feel very cold!
As we gaze out over the “landscape” of our life during these “in-between” seasons, we might be like I was on my front porch this morning, and suddenly become aware of hundreds of little shimmering ice crystals … sparkling like diamonds! Or … we could only focus on the cold.
As we proceed forward in these “in-between” seasons of life, it might feel like crunching across frozen grass. We could focus on the cold. Or we could pause … bend down … and discover the beauty that’s right there in the “frozen” place.
It takes intentionality. It takes intentionality to see the beauty in the “in-between” places in life.
But if we look … beauty is indeed there!
A special unique beauty which is reserved only for those “in-between” places!
The sun peeks over the horizon! Daylight is breaking!
The “in-between” place of dawn is just about gone. The “in-between” place of a light frost is just about gone. And with it, the unique special beauty it holds!
Life’s “in-between” places are hard. We often want to get out of “in-between” places and into someplace different.
But “in-between” places are important! It’s often the “in-between” places that we learn the biggest lessons!
* It’s often in the “in-between” places that God develops our patience!
* It’s often in the “in-between” places that God develops our character!
* It’s in the “in-between” places we learn to wait. And to rest.
* It’s in the “in-between” places we learn to let go. To surrender. To trust.
God is with you in your “in-between” place.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” – Isaiah 30:21
God is doing something amazing in your “in-between” place.
There is incredible beauty in your “in-between” place … you just have to stop, and look for it.