Joy In Between

Easter is over and I already wish it was Christmas. This is the dark time of year where I have to wait months and months until it’s time to start putting my lights up.

How do we find joy in the in between?

The in between.

Do you have in between moments in life? It’s not the low moments of grief and suffering or the high victories and successes. The in between is the blah, the everyday, the routine.

The in between isn’t “slavery in Egypt” but it’s also not the “Promised Land.” It’s the desert. It’s the grind of daily life.

How do we find joy in that?

First, recognize that everyday stuff is often the best stuff.

Think about your family or friends. I know when I consider my kids, it’s the normal stuff that I appreciate the most. The mornings getting ready for work and school. Bed-time routines. Making dinner. Those are the parts I missed most when my oldest daughter went to college. It wasn’t the birthday parties and the holidays. It’s the everyday routine that I missed - the stuff in between the huge mountain tops.

Second, spend some time in prayer for the in between.

We often get on our knees in prayer for the big decisions and the wonderful opportunities. And of course we pray for the dark times of suffering and hardship. But how often do we seek God for his presence and power in the in between? How often do we ask God to work his wonders in the mundane parts of normal life? I think it could help.

Finally, celebrate everything…well, almost everything.

Ok, you can’t throw a party every day or it stops being special. But I also love the idea of celebrating the fact that you got through a busy Tuesday. Take a friend, a kid, or your spouse out to dinner for surviving another Monday of work or school. Celebrate a good practice, not just winning the big game. Again, you can’t do this for everything but it could shift our mindset just a bit.

And find the joy in the in between.