I learnt a new word the other day. Liminality. This word perfectly describes our current time period. Liminality comes from the Latin word limen, meaning threshold.
So, liminality is being on a threshold. It sounds so sacred doesn’t it? Part of me wants to whisper “being on a threshold”. It’s the experience of living in an In-Between Place. Have you been there, {{ subscriber.firstName | default(‘friend’) }}?
It’s that awkward space of leaving something behind but not arriving yet at a new place. It’s the transition from what was normal to a new normal.
We are all experiencing liminality right now, in 2020. I catch myself comparing in conversation, our pre-covid life to our life now.
Life now, is at a threshold.
Some of us are still going through lockdowns and isolations and others are out the other side, but still things are not completely normal. In NZ we still have restrictions on international travel and our tourism is suffering terribly. There are no plans to visit overseas family and friends. This time period is the in-between space, between pre-covid and post-covid.
There are other in-between spaces:
~the transition from school leaver to worker
~a young adult moving out of home
~engagement to a loved one
~waiting for answers
~menopause for women
~selling your home
~living through a divorce
~the 40 weeks of pregnancy
~losing a loved one
~losing a job
~starting retirement
What if we viewed these transition times as sacred spaces?
What if 2020 is a sacred space for the world?
What if we embraced these in-between times and allow ourselves to be transformed?
Yes, it is unnerving and uncomfortable. It is the place where the old world is left behind but we are not sure of the new one yet.
In God’s eyes it is a good place. Why? because we are more vulnerable. We are more unsettled. It forces us to step back from the normalcy and ask ourselves piercing questions.
Am I in the right place?
Am I in the right job?
Am I right with God?
What is the right path to be on?
“In sacred space the old world is able to fall apart, and the new world is able to be revealed. If we don’t find liminal space in our lives, we start idolizing normalcy. We end up believing it’s the only reality and our lives shrivel.” (Richard Rohr)
This in-betweeness has been forced on us. It’s like we are a trapeze artist and our hands have let go of the trapeze. We are now in limbo, flying through the air. Our old life has fallen away and another trapeze is swinging towards us. We haven’t reached for the new bar yet. We are somewhere in between.
What if we viewed the approaching bar as the hand of Jesus reaching out to take hold of us?
Peter entered this sacred in-between space the minute he accepted Jesus’ invitation to get out of the boat and place his feet on the surging sea (see Matthew 14:22-23).
Jim Branch described it like this:
“It is the space between the boat and Jesus, between letting go and taken hold of, between the old and familiar and the new and unknown, between control and agenda and dependence and detachment. It is a space that is both completely terrifying and unbelievably exciting. It is the space before your answer has come, or your problem has been solved. It is the space where you must trust the heart of God alone for your life. It is the space of genuine transformation.”
So friend, what are you doing with this sacred space – this time of transition?
Are you allowing yourself to be transformed by the Spirit of God? Are you embracing the new thing that God wants to incorporate into your life?
Is it time to get still before the Lord and know that He is God in your life? Psalm 46:10
I pray that God will open your eyes to see what he sees for this sacred space in your life. I ask the Father to grant you a stillness in your soul so you can hear His voice calling you to the new thing. I pray for courage and boldness for you to release the bar and enjoy the journey towards the hand of Jesus.
Leave a Reply