Living In Between

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Pastor’s Blog

Living In Between

Life happens in between things.

Between engagement and the wedding.
Between invitation and birthday party.
Between kindergarten and graduation.
We plot, we measure, we plan, we get ready, we live.

There are some other moments that happen in between as well. They are the times you dread in between discovery and punishment.

The time your mother caught you at the friend’s house when you were supposed to be home.
The moment the police officer pulled you over for speeding.
The exact time when the principal caught you cheating on the test.
You were angry, mad, upset, ashamed, and also desperately worried what the consequences would be.

That’s the place we find David in Psalm 51. He has finally realized the severity of his actions. He now lives in between the moment he is caught with Bathsheba and the time he learns the consequences of his sin. He waits for his punishment; he doesn’t know all that’s going to happen. He’ll say anything just to get the guilt to go away. He cries out,

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

It’s such an important statement. David confesses what he has done, appeals to the Lord for help, and asks for cleansing.

This season of Lent offers the opportunity to reflect on the time in between Good Friday and Easter. We deserved much worse, but Christ’s cross and resurrection gave us so much more than we deserve. The consequences may not be as severe as David’s, but the sin is just as wrong. By confessing our transgressions, we take responsibility for our actions, surrender our guilt to Christ, and arise to walk in newness of life now.

Because we’re always living in between, we don’t need to wait for life to get better or more fulfilling; we can live life now in the present based on Christ’s forgiveness. David’s life would never be the same, but he keeps on living because of his faith in God.

We can live with anxiety, guilt, and shame of what could have been, or we can live released from fear and anxiety and living in light of the grace that comes. Christ has already made his choice; what’s yours?