by: Yonce Shelton

You are there.  I am there.  And Jesus was there.

In between.

Named or not, we are always in between.  We live and move in spaces between awareness, knowing, and action.

It is a gift when something grabs us or tips us off to the need to focus on a question or reality.  That awareness drives us to figure out what insights or clarity will provide information, assurance, and guidance.  If we gain such knowing, the challenge becomes exploring how that calls us.  Attention, patience, and discernment in that period can lead to understanding the action required.

The fully human Jesus was often in between.

Jesus had to become more aware of His calling as the Son of God.  He learned He was beloved in His baptism.  He nurtured relationship with God in the wilderness.  He felt the power of His first miracle.

Jesus spent time with people to know their needs and limitations.  He touched and healed.  He wept.  He knew trust and betrayal.  He was shaped by experience and discernment.

Jesus acted on His understanding of the coming kingdom.  He defended the weak and challenged injustice.  He empowered disciples.  His journey to the cross began the defining transition of His life – and the Christian faith.

We are not so different from the human Jesus in our desires and struggles – and in learning to co-create with God.  We are not alone in the many in betweens.  God is in those spaces and knows our needs.  And sometimes, it can help to have others there.

My heart is with those sensing a call, pull, or energy hinting at new possibility.  I have learned to pay attention in the spaces between.  I know the terrain.  Because of my journey, I offer companionship as others walk their own paths of growth and meaning. Being with Between supports individuals and groups as they explore calling, discernment, and transition in the spaces between.

As you honor awareness of God, may you open to new spaces.