Scholars have a name for in-between times: liminal space. They are places of transition, waiting, and uncertainty.
Occupying liminal space can be unpleasant, marked by confusion and struggle. If this sounds familiar, that’s because we are living in a liminal space right now as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know from stories in the Bible that living in liminal space is nothing new. In Genesis 37-50, Joseph is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, then serves at an officer’s house for a short while before he is thrown in prison on false charges. Genesis doesn’t tell us how long Joseph was in prison, but many scholars deduce that Joseph was in prison for about 10 years!
Like Joseph, we can listen for God’s guidance and serve God and others despite the future’s uncertainty. This in-between time is not a time for inaction. God invites us to continue doing God’s work in a world that desperately needs God’s unconditional love and an awareness of God’s presence.
This message is excerpted from “The uncertainty of in-between time,” by Becca Ehrlich in the March 2021 Cafe online magazine. Please pray for the women who will gather online today for a leadership event, For Such a Time as This: Spirit Fed Spirit Led.
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