Have you ever been in the middle of something? You know, like the middle of a book, dinner, a movie, your family, or nowhere. What does it feel like to be in the middle? How do you know you are there? Will you ever make it out?

Great questions, huh?? I believe we all are in the middle of something. I am a middle child, middle-aged, and in the middle of a season of waiting and receiving. To sum it up, I am in the middle of renewal. A time of letting go and allowing God to work in and through me knowing the process never ends.

My Story

I spoke with a group of women this past weekend about “Why the Middle of Renewal Matters.” Before I could wrap my brain around what God wanted me to say, I needed to understand what renewal looks like as well as how I would describe the “middle” I was currently in.

My story is not pretty. There is no happy ending. It is messy and God has a way of pulling me through the hard, sometimes kicking and screaming.

Here’s what I do know. My story is not over. God redeems the messy and in this hard place, He has never left my side–not even once! I find myself in the middle often. It might be as simple as the middle of writing a post for this space and finding out the direction I thought I was going changes mid-sentence. Or it could be as hard as living through a season of pushing back because I thought I knew best. You can read more about that HERE.

God knows. Let me say it again. God already knew what was going to happen even before I did.

EVERY TIME.

I say that more for myself than you. It is comforting to know that God is present and active in every single detail.

We are all in the middle of something.

One thing I am learning is that we are all in the middle of something. Many times we describe it as a season of life. Maybe you are raising young kids and you are barraged by a chorus of “noes” daily. It could look like facing the hard in a season of raising school-age kids who face the social pressure of just being in school. Maybe you find yourself in between jobs. Whatever your middle looks like God comes alongside you.

I am learning this the hard way. It’s all because the thought of giving up control is difficult for me to do. I’ve written about letting go before and the lessons of surrender continue. I imagine, knowing myself well, this will be the case for a long time.

As I stood before about twenty women, I saw recognition and connected hearts scattered throughout the room. It was a gift. My journey was not for nothing, even if it looked like sharing that it is not over and I know God will continue to work in and through me.

What I am Learning

I pray what I am learning helps you in your own journey of walking through middle seasons. God is teaching me that:

Renewal is ongoing and hard. To be made new is a process of refining and restoring and sometimes rescuing again and again.

Living in the middle is a place where I must foster patience and grace. My middle season is a time of fighting back against the lies that tried to steal my identity this past winter. I love that God is still growing me.

The middle of renewal matters because this is where the hard work happens. This is the place where you live in the tension of what is to come while trying to figure out how to let go of the past. God is in the middle. He knows what we need even before we do. He has a standing invitation for all of us to lean in and learn.

You might be thinking right now that life is good and you wouldn’t change a thing. Or maybe, life is exhausting and messy doesn’t even begin to describe all the moving parts you are trying to keep afloat. No matter your season, your heart posture, or your trek toward renewal in your life, God is with you.

The middle of renewal matters because this is where the hard work happens and God never leaves your side. #TellHisStory #newpost #linkup #renewal Share on X

I love writing these words as a reminder to myself. I pray something resonated with you and if so, will you share in the comments, share this post with others, or just message me to let me know. You are my people.

Blessings,

P.S. I am out of town next week. My yearly trip with my dear writing friends who are more like sisters at this point. My goal is to have a post ready before I go along with the linkup. If not, all the grace, please?!?

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

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Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters.
 
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