In-Between

Last week, I took the dogs on a walk before dinner. It was getting late, and I was suddenly aware that I was walking with the setting sun at my back with the  full moon rising directly in front of me. I was in-between day and night, and time seemed to stand still.

An In-between month

November is an in-between kind of month. Where I live in western North Carolina, the peak of leaf season is usually the second or third week of October. After that, the trees begin to look naked and bleak as their once colorful adornments fall to the ground. But it’s not winter. Not yet.

Most stores still have some orange and gold decorations, but they are putting up Christmas trees at the same time. Even my local coffee shop has made its last autumn spice syrup of the year, to be replaced by Christmas flavors like gingerbread and peppermint mocha. 

Thanksgiving often gets lost in the hubbub. I’m a one season at a time kind of girl.  If decorating your Christmas tree in October or November makes you happy, who am I to judge? But can we stop decking the halls long enough to make real space for Thanksgiving?

Is it fall or winter? It’s in-between

It’s like the whole month is in-between. Our temperatures yesterday were in the mid-sixties. I didn’t wear a jacket when I walked the dogs. Now we have a light dusting of snow on the ground, and we may see temperatures in the teens tonight. Talk about contrast!

In-between emotions

I am in-between often.  Last year, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene left me feeling thankful for my own protection while at the same time, mourning the losses around me.  Many of my friends described a similar sort of survivor’s guilt. 

A sudden reset

A couple of months ago, I was in a scary car crash. All my airbags deployed, and I was helpless as the car spun out of control. At last, it stopped, facing the opposite direction. I managed to open my door and walk to a safer location, albeit on shaky legs. 

I was immediately grateful that I had walked away safe from what could have been a fatal collision. Likewise, the other driver had no serious injuries.  

But both of us entered a time of in-between, 

Grateful. But what now? 

I never lost that feeling of gratitude. But it was clouded by a myriad of other emotions in the ensuing days, but I was in-between decisions as the various adjusters decided if the car was a total loss, or just partial, and how much the pay-out should be.  Then I was in-between vehicles as I drove first a rental, then a family vehicle for a while. And I struggled with options, before choosing a replacement vehicle.  

Joseph in the in-between

No one is immune to the in-between. The Old Testament character Joseph was a man who spent much of his early life in  the in-between. He lived between the raucous adoration of his father and the unfiltered hatred of his brothers. When their hatred won out, he lived between the favor of his master Potipher and the lustful advances of Potipher’s wife. 

Then his integrity landed him in prison, and he spent years walking the tightrope of in-between. Though he was still an inmate, Joseph was placed in charge of the prison.  When Pharaoh imprisoned two of his favored servants, it says that “captain of the guard assigned them to Jospeh, who looked after them.” He was no ordinary prisoner. 

Then, the two palace servants had dreams, and asked their attendant his interpretation. When one of the men was restored to his former position, I imagine that Joseph sighed with relief, sure that he would soon be vindicated. 

Two more years in-between

But no. He spent two more years in-between.  The man “forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.”  I wonder if Joseph waited eagerly for his benefactor to return and release him from jail. Or if he went about his business, frustrated by how his life had turned out. 

It took the former prisoner two whole years before he thought of Joseph again.When Pharaoh puzzled over disturbing dreams, his servant remembered the young man from his past.  Thirteen years passed between the time Joseph’s brothers sent him to Egypt and the day he stood before Pharaoh. And in one moment he was no longer in-between. The prisoner became second in command of all Egypt. It seems sudden, until you consider all the time in-between. 

God is there, too.

Though it is frustrating to live in the in-between, God meets us there. In fact, Psalm 105 recounts the history of the nation of Israel. It says that “He called for a famine cutting off its food supply. Then He sent someone to Egypt ahead of them — Joseph who was sold as a slave.“

Jospeh had no idea what was happening. We seldom understand what God is doing when He leaves us in the in-between. Joseph was right where he belonged. God sent him to Egypt, years ahead of the rest of his family so he could prepare the way for them. The Psalm goes on to say that “until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” 

Prepared for power

Joseph’s years in between prepared him for his future role as advisor to Pharaoh. He went to Egypt a spoiled young man. But thirteen years later, he was mature, battle tested, and ready to prepare Egypt for a brutal famine, ready to forgive his brothers and save his family.

Time Between Times

Most of us avoid being caught in the in-between. But the ancient Celts considered transitional time to be sacred. They divided their year by dark and light. And they considered times when dark and light met such as equinoxes to be special.  They had a marked affinity for what they called “time between times”, the time in the early morning and late evening where it is neither day nor night. They believed that the veil between the spirit world and the physical world was very thin during these times. Don’t worry. I’m not espousing Celtic religion or theology. But the idea is powerful. . 

In-between times are holy times

I don’t always recognize times of waiting as being holy times when God is preparing me for the next thing. But they are. The seventeen year old who went to Egypt wasn’t ready to manage the affairs of a country. But the thirty year old was. 

The in-between time for Joseph was when God prepared  for his destiny. And that destiny didn’t just benefit  Joseph. He stood before Pharaoh prepared to save his family and the entire known world. 

But why, God? 

 I am like a perpetual toddler, always asking “why”. God usually doesn’t answer. But I choose to be like Joseph and trust Him. The process is part of my destiny.  

I don’t know why I spent last summer in the in-between.  I don’t have a theological explanation for my accident. But I know He has used the aftermath to help me grow. I trust Him more. I am more confident of the love of my friends and family. And I am more aware how fragile life is. It can change in an instant. So, that time in-between was holy time. I can accept that. 

In between forgetfulness and fruitfulness

If you are in-between right now, it’s a hard place to be. But it’s also a holy place to be. Joseph named his sons Manasseh, which means “forgetfulness” and Ephraim which means “fruitfulness”. He gave a powerful testimony that God allowed him to forget the pain and loneliness and made him fruitful, even in an alien land. 

That’s the blessing of walking in-between sunset and moonrise. God can make us forgetful and fruitful. That’s an indescribable gift!

 

*Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation.copyright 1996, 2004 and 2015 by Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois. 

Featured image and photo of car were taken by author. 

Other phots are courtesy of Pixabay. 

No AI was used by this author.