Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Living 'In Between'

I started reading Eugene Peterson's classic A Long Obedience in the Same Direction and was really struck by his description, courtesy of Paul Tournier, of the experience of being in between:

"...between the time we leave home and arrive at our destination; between the time we leave adolescence and arrive at adulthood; between the time we leave doubt and arrive at faith. It is like the time when a trapeze artist lets go the bar and hangs in midair, ready to catch another support: it is a time of danger, of expectation, of uncertainty, of excitement, of extraordinary aliveness.

"Christians will recognize how appropriately these psalms [the psalms of ascent] may be sung between the times: between the time we leave the world's environment and arrive at the Spirit's assembly; between the time we leave sin and arrive at holiness; between the time we leave home on Sunday morning and arrive in church with the company of God's people; between the time we leave the works of the law and arrive at justification by faith. They are songs of transition, brief hymns that provide courage, support and inner direction for getting us to where God is leading us in Jesus Christ."

Anybody else resonate with that feeling of being "in between"?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've been slowly making my way through Peterson's book too. It's dense, but so good. I can definitely relate to the feeling of living "in between" sin and righteousness. Peterson paints such vivid pictures!
Happy Reading!

-Bethany