The meantime.
A dear friend of mine passed on a phrase to me that I have remembered and used often these past three years. She said, “you know, it’s called the “meantime” for a reason. It’s not called the “nice time” or the “easy time”, it’s called the “meantime”, because it’s mean.”
And, I concur.
While we wait in hope for what God has promised, life continues. It’s never “fair” (if fair means nice and generous, and full of only good things for sincere-hearted people). It can be dark, and lonely, and stressful. It is often full of misunderstanding and angst, while void of the comforts we have enjoyed in the past. For me, it’s been a painful pruning time, where relationships and material things that are not helping us to bear fruit are cut away, and we are brought to our knees, seeking the only One who can fill the longing in our heart.
No, the meantime is not always a nice time, but my son pitched a question to me yesterday that I can’t shake.
“Mom, have you ever stopped to think that the “meantime” is exactly where you are supposed to be?”
What?
The meantime can have meaning?
This waiting…this meantime…is not the passageway to get to a destination of blessing, but is the blessing in itself?
I have to re-think this some more.
Edited to add: My first click after publishing this post was today’s entry in my favorite devotional. It’s like an exclamation point to the thoughts I have shared here. Check it out.
Reckon it nothing but joy… whenever you find yourself hedged in by the various trials, be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance (James 1:2-3) Weymouth
God hedges in His own that He may preserve them, but oftentimes they only see the wrong side of the hedge, and so misunderstand His dealings. It was so with Job (Job 3:23). Ah, but Satan knew the value of that hedge! See his testimony in Job 1:10.
New Things 