You are in the middle of something. I don't what it is, but trust me, you are definitely in the middle of something or other in your life. The middle of college, or the middle of preschoolers, or the middle of a brutal stretch at work, or the middle of caring for aging parents, or the middle of treatment for a disease, or the middle of the muddy years of middle-age with it's slow leaks and losses...of empty nests, wrinkles, and constant forgetfulness. Not to mention the middle-school years--oh my, those are the Bermuda Triangle years of schooling. I well remember the smeared black eyeliner and rather unfortunate fashion choices our girls made in Middle School...not to mention, for all of five of ours, the braces, bad skin, and bad attitudes.
Yep, no doubt about it--middles can be hard...challenging...confusing...exhausting... and oftentimes downright discouraging. You know why I think that is? Because we tend to lose perspective in the middle. We've forgotten the exhilaration of the beginning. The excitement, the energy, the hope, the unknown adventure of all that's before us.
And we've not yet arrived at the ending, the long-awaited conclusion. The treasure of perspective, sometimes hard-gained, the wisdom of lessons learned, the peace of conflicts resolved, the joy of hope revived and different dreams reborn. Even difficult endings bring relief and often the realization that it was not quite as painful as we'd anticipated.
Yes sir, the beginnings and the endings in our lives, in our stories, in whatever it is that we're enduring or enjoying right at the moment, both possess so many jewels of joy, knowledge, and peace...
...but not necessarily the long, slogging, slow middle. Middles can be marathons, can't they?
I'll never forget the one and only marathon I ran (uh, make that "jogged") while I was in law school. It sounded like such a fabulous idea at the beginning. The training--at the beginning--was somewhat fun. By the middle, the training was torturous. All those miserable, hot, and lonely, long runs on sore and weary legs. Clearly I'd lost my mind in thinking I could train for a marathon during law school. Yet by the end of the training, it was all happiness and excitement over achieving the goal of preparation for the big event.
And then it was time for the marathon itself. Once again, gloriously delightful beginning. Oh yes, beginnings can be like puppies--cute, fun, lots of work but you're happily lost in the joy of it all.
We ran--oops, jogged--the D.C. marathon, and the beginning was nearly magic as we passed the magnificent monuments on a bright fall day. Isn't life grand?...until the middle. Oh Lord have mercy, that was misery personified. Around mile 20 I hit the wall and thought I was going to die...actually hoped I would die as anything would be better than continuing that long, slow, boring, painful, endless trail of tears.
But God's been teaching me a few things about middles. Come back in a day or two for some more lessons, but here's just one critical one--we need each other in the middle. You've gotta have friends or family, someone to encourage you (which, incidentally, is a French word meaning "to pour courage into") and remind you that the middle is not forever. That God's in control and He's working and moving. That the end is just ahead, and you can make it, one step at a time.
That's exactly what my dear, wonderful sisters did for me in that travail of a marathon. Mary Norris and Jane saw I was struggling, and they literally ran alongside me--in blue jeans and down jackets--for a mile or two till the finish line was in sight. With their purses banging at their sides as they jogged beside me, they yelled encouraging things about the tar heel basketball team and James Worthy and Dean Smith and never quitting. Exhortations like "Never give up!" and "You can do it!" and "Almost there!" I'm quite sure they probably quoted Winston Churchill a time or two as well.
Their love and encouragement kept me going...kept me jogging when all I wanted to do was quit, sit down in a heap and cry.
Our family and friends did the same thing for us when Janie was in such desperate shape in the hospital. That middle stretch in the ICU was so long, uncertain, scary, and discouraging. But family and friends continuously rode in as the calvary--day and night--right smack in our middle. Friends and family who encouraged us by pouring strength into our desperately weak and thirsty hearts. And so we forged ahead through that middle...all the way to the glorious end.
More on this later, but for now, I just want to remind you, if you're struggling in the doldrums or dead zone of the middle--the end is coming. This will not last forever. I don't care how you feel right now--I promise you will not feel that way forever. Hope will be reborn. Joy will return. Strength will revive.
Might my words be like my jogging sisters to resupply you with courage. You can do it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting, knowing, God's in control, He's got a plan, and the end of your story will ultimately be glorious beyond imagining. Middles don't last forever. Find a friend to help you remember and to give you a fresh vision for the way ahead.
And just in case you've forgotten--"There's a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs. 18:24) The Lord Jesus knows all about middles...and beginnings and endings. He'll pull you through, not somehow, but triumphantly. I've read the end of the story...it's beyond spectacular. So keep your gaze on Him and keep on going. It will be soooo worth it!
To God be the glory.
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