When Skies Are Grey... (Living in "The In Between" Space)

Just reminding us (yes, even me) of how to live well in the middle...in the place of questions...in the place where things don't always make sense.  This is a place of waiting, the place of holding onto dreams that are promised and yet to be fulfilled.  It is a place of darkness and yet a place of glimpses of hope, beauty and a peace that goes beyond how we feel in reminding ourselves that He is here.  This is the tension place, the "in between" place.  A place of walking in our pilgrimage one step, one breath at a time.  Holding on to what we KNOW...learning to laugh and celebrate and be ok with life not always making sense...learning to dance in the rain and bask in the sun and know that  'in the middle' is where beauty and glory can and does grow.

So if you find yourself here...here are 50 things (not in order of importance)  that I pray can help us on our journey...

1. You are not alone...He is with you.
2. You are not in control...and it's ok to let go of it.
3. You are NEVER too messy to Come to Him
4. Your loneliness is part of the longing that our souls were created for..we were created to long for LOVE and the Person of Love
5. You don't have to make everyone understand or make everyone be ok with where you are at.
6. This space doesn't disqualify your service for Jesus, but may even enhance it
7. You are loved.
8. The questions are ok to ask...He never gets tired of them...and never thinks we are nagging.
9. Fear & Doubt are normal...deal with them in real conversations/prayer
10. Surrender to the process of becoming...no one has arrived yet
11. Smile & Find Joy
12. Acknowledge your feelings of tension.
13. Find a few friends...the 2 or 3 to carry you.
14. Say, "No!" when you can't
15. Say, "Yes!" when you can
16. Ask for the strength to lift your eyes and focus
17. Know there's a bigger story going on than where you are at right now.
18. Cry, Cry, Cry
19. Don't get hung up on people's reactions.
20. Sleep and go for walks/exercise...not at the same time though 😉
21. Breathe deep
22. Don't justify your "No." and don't be pressured into saying, "Yes!'
23. Keep creativity/adventure alive
24. Say No to shame and yes to belonging
25. Do something that requires risk
26. Be ok with not sharing and silence in conversations
27. Pray, pray pray
28. Watch a good movie now and again
29. Learn to communicate what you need  and when you need things
30. Learn not to be afraid of accountability...the confession of not only your fails, but also find people who remind you of who you are and what you are created for.
31. Don't take yourself too seriously
32. Discover and understand who you are. Notice what gives you life and what sucks life out of you....and don't apologize for it.  Know what you are...and acknowledge what you're not
33. Scratch the word "should" out of your dictionary. 
34. Times of solitude do not ALWAYS mean isolation...learn to love your own space if that's what you need.
35. Risk rejection & being misunderstood....but "avoid every form of self-rejection"--Nouwen
36. Praise even when you don't feel it...sing loud through the questions, doubts and fears.
37. Explore different spiritual practices and ways of connecting to God. Break yourself out of the box.
38. Go shopping, buy yourself flowers, visit your favorite cafe
39. Stop and receive His peace even in the chaos
40. Read a book
41. Know pushing through ≠ faithfulness
42. HE sees, knows & gets it
43. Examine your motivations/intentions in life
44. Give yourself freedom to dream of what could be
45. Sit in Scripture
46. Ask for help
47. Listen.
48. Dance and adjust to disappointments
49. Help someone else
50. Remind yourself that it won't always be this way...your story won't end here!!  Yay for hope!