Today, I am sharing the full post at #ThreeWordWednesday. This is a teaser…so just go there and read the rest, already! Find out how you can MeetMeintheMiddle!
Why is Celebrating the Middle so Hard?
I remember walking up the stairs and seeing her at the computer, out of the corner of my eye. She was muttering to herself and shaking her head.
“What’s wrong, Sweetie?”
“Mom, I just want to hurry up and get all my work done, so I can have some fun,” fumed my homeschooling sixth grader.
Everyone likes to have fun, but my child always loved school too. What had happened? Instantly, I knew where she learned that way of thinking and it stopped me in my tracks.
I was the one always rushing, Let’s get our reading done, so we can have recess. Let’s try to finish early, so we can meet our friends at the park. Let’s hurry up and do our work, so we can bake.
I turned around and went downstairs. I repented of my haste. I explained to her that most of life is work and if we can’t see any value in it, we are missing our calling to honor the Lord in all we do.[tweetthis]Most of life is work and if we can’t see any value in that, we miss our calling to honor the Lord.[/tweetthis]
Do you ever find yourself rushing ahead, wanting to get to the next place, to move straight from Before to After without spending time in the middle? That day on the stairs, I realized that I was constantly chasing the “After” and missing the Middle. And it got me thinking…
Most of us dread the workout, but want to look great in our jeans. We don’t enjoy cleaning, but we love the shiny, sweet-smelling endpoint. We don’t like waiting, We want results, and we want them fast. We don’t want to wait for anything.
What if…we realized that most of life is lived in the Middle? That most of life is work, sweat, and tears? [tweetthis]What if we realized most of life is lived in the Middle? That most of life is work, sweat, & tears?[/tweetthis]
What if…we saw a Before & After and did not covet the result, but admired the effort exerted?
What if…we acknowledged that every “Big Reveal” pales in comparison to the biggest reveal of them all—the Resurrection?
Your Invitation!
Won’t you join me in celebrating the Middle places that we sometimes miss, because we want so badly to get to the After? It’s a SMALL commitment, but I think it could be really fun! We are calling it a Lenten Curation of Before & After pictures. We want to repurpose those Before&Afters and show how they point to the gospel…. Click here to join me today at #ThreeWordWednesday to learn more about the Project.
Image Copyright: scusi / 123RF Stock Photo
As a busy mom of five tween and teens, I rush more than I rest. I wholeheartedly LOVE your leading to celebrate the middle! I spend endless time in my car and often resent the miles – today I will start to celebrate my middle by embracing car-time moments with my kiddos over silly pop songs and conversations of what happened around the lunch table at middle school! Thank you!!
Sara, I love that you’re finding peace with the place you’re in — even if it is the car! I wanted to do this project because these things are hard for me too! I want to be at peace, right where I am. Your new way of seeing car-time helps me, too! 🙂
So glad to have you at my place today! xoxo
Me too! It was just the *bump* I needed today! 🙂 Your people are so nice!