August 19, 2022
As I write this to you, I'm in the passenger seat of our full-to-the-brim car, somewhere in the middle of Missouri. We are taking our daughter to her first year at the University of Kansas. The drive is long and the sky is wide and there is a lot of space for reflection.
This time in the car is a middle time. We're leaving what was, but not yet at what will be. As we drive, we're still a cohesive unit: listening together to an audiobook, stopping together to stretch our legs, sharing water and snacks and phone chargers. Tomorrow Tessa will move into her dorm and will launch into something new, on her own. The next time we're together, we'll all have grown and changed in ways we can't know yet.
I've heard the between times of our lives compared to swinging from one trapeze to another. There's a moment in time where you need to let go of one trapeze bar in order to grab another, and in the letting go you're one part exhilarated and one part terrified. One part wanting to hang on, one part ready to leap. To be clear, I've never personally swung on a trapeze and it is not exactly on my bucket list. And to be perfectly honest, I don't love the feelings between times bring. Solid? Safe? Secure? Now those are feelings I enjoy. Flying untethered through the air, not as much.
Our God, however, seems to be a God of Trapeze Flying, and is constantly directing us to new things. New ways to learn, new ways to grown, new ways to experience this one precious life we're given. And that means our God is constantly leading us to between times. I'm trying to remember that, driving through the middle of Missouri. This too, this letting go we all must do, is of God. My prayer for you this week is that whether you are holding solidly to a trapeze bar, or flying through the air to catch the next one, whether you are holding on or letting go, you are meeting God in it all.
I will still be in the between this weekend and will not be at church on Sunday. I'm thrilled to let you know that the Rev. Gwen Powell, who knows a little something about between times, will be there to celebrate with you.