SUBMERGEഉദാഹരണം

In The Meantime

Do you ever find yourself in a position where the pain of what you’re going through overshadows the reward waiting for you on the other side?

I once went on a 54-mile hike in the backwoods of Glacier National Park. It was split into five days, and on the second day, my buddies and I had to muster every bit of energy we had just to take the next step. The journey was far more difficult than we expected.

With our heads down, determined to get to our next campsite, my buddy Jake stopped us and said, “Guys, STOP! Look up for a second.” As we looked up, we were all overcome with a sense of awe and wonder. The beauty of the mountain landscape was breathtaking.

This trail we were on is reserved for only 1,000 hikers a year to preserve the natural landscape. We knew at that moment we were seeing a part of the world that most people never get to see. What a special gift.

We began to discuss that we were so focused on the task of getting to the next campsite that we were missing the whole point of the hike, which was to truly enjoy the journey and soak up all of God's amazing creation.

Our hike started on a Monday and finished on a Friday, but it was in the meantime that the journey was enjoyed.

That’s how life is for us too! We’ve all had meantime moments in our life, and we’re all currently in a meantime moment now. Maybe you just graduated and are about to go to college, maybe you have a big piano recital coming up, possibly you just started to follow Jesus, and you’re new to the faith, or maybe you’ve been praying for a long time for God to restore family relationships…Whether big or small, God desires to be in your meantime moments!

How do we know if God is in our meantime moments?

Romans 14:17 says this, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (ESV)

AH! That’s exciting news. Sometimes the MEANTIME can be tough, and we just want to get to the other side, like how my hike was. But when we live with Jesus, He offers us three beautiful attributes as gifts. First, we’re made right with him because of what he did on the cross, and we were made right on the inside! Secondly, we receive a peace that goes beyond all understanding. And thirdly, He cultivates in us a contagious joy!

No matter the highs and lows of your meantime, Jesus is a present friend and desires to give you these gifts! Once we take hold of them, the journey becomes as special as the destination.

Reflection:

What meantime moment do you feel like you’re currently in?

What are ways that you can begin to invite God into your meantime?

Timmy Riggs
SNU Class of 2015