Living In the In-Between

Letting Jesus' example lead us.

Sometimes the space between salvation and difficulty is hard to determine.

Those who follow Jesus have to acknowledge that while Christ brings salvation, freedom, and deliverance from one set of troubles, there still may be, or will be, difficulty in life. Jesus’ own life demonstrates this. If he—the liberator himself—faced difficulties, ranging from dealing with stubborn people to enduring suffering and death, then we can expect the same.

But how do we know when to expect joy and goodness and when to prepare for the wayward ways of the world?

It seems Jesus provides a path through it all, not above it all. At least, not yet.

The already, but not yet of his way must be acknowledged. We choose to live in the already, but not yet—not as an excuse to disengage, but as a way to embody it. Many Christians are surprised by difficulty. This is, at best, a growing pain in the Christian walk and at worst, reason for faith abandonment. But we don’t even have to be reading scripture that closely to see the truth of it all (just faithfully).

When we realize and accept that there will be difficulty, we actually can begin to live more faithfully and fully within it all. We choose to live into the not yet as if it’s already here. This will appear ignorant and even aloof to those who don’t understand. And we do want to be careful that we are wise and discerning, as Jesus calls us to be.

But when we live the not yet within the already, we’ll find that faith comes more easily (though not always easy!). Sometimes, like Jesus in this passage, we’ll appear to be hiding. And other times, we’ll appear to be in the glory of it all, on top of the world.

The line between those spaces isn’t always clear. But living in the space between will come more naturally as we give ourselves over to a strong God.

John 12:27-36

“Now I am deeply troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The crowd standing there heard and said, “It’s thunder.” Others said, “An angel spoke to him.”

Jesus replied, “This voice wasn’t for my benefit but for yours. Now is the time for judgment of this world. Now this world’s ruler will be thrown out. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” (He said this to show how he was going to die.)

The crowd responded, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Human One must be lifted up? Who is this Human One?”

Jesus replied, “The light is with you for only a little while. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” After Jesus said these things, he went away and hid from them.

Psalm 27:1, 13-14

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Should I fear anyone?
The Lord is a fortress protecting my life. Should I be frightened of anything?

But I have sure faith that I will experience the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!

Hope in the Lord! Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Hope in the Lord!

Prayer

God,

Help me to live in the in between. Give me the faith that is sure and steady without being stupid and aloof. I don’t know…maybe that last sentence is a weakness yet to be purged by Jesus. Help me there, too.

I do confess that I don’t want to appear to be ignorant. But I suppose that will just happen. I wonder if Stephen looked stupid to those throwing rocks at him. Actually, I’m sure he did.

So help me, God: Help me to be strong and faithful regardless of appearances.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.