Late this afternoon, after a long day of doing administrative work I thought I would unwind by listening to some music, editing some photos and...if inspiration struck....create a layout or two. I was listening to one of my favorite contemporary Christian groups, "Casting Crowns." The photos I was editing came from from our trip to Tahoe this past summer.
I was working on this photo when the song "Somewhere in the Middle" started to play:
The Song Lyrics:
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
This song has always spoken to me of some of my own struggles in my Christian walk. I KNOW that our most powerful experience of God is only found when we abandon self and fully embrace HIS path, HIS call, HIS ways and HIS holiness and yet in my brokenness I so often cling to my own willfulness....caught in the middle between temporal comfort and selfless abandon.
How precious is the thought that even in this in-between place the beauty of the Lord still shines, the reality of his love still comforts, and the certainty of our hope still encourages us to move forward. Like the sunrise coming up over this mountain someday, soon, we too shall be able to stand in the full glory of Holy God and NOT be caught in the middle anymore!
A photo, a song, a moment of prayerful thought, a creative process....sometimes it all just "comes together!"
