the sacred middle
flourishing in the in-between
“I’m in the middle of something.”
“I’m in the middle of nowhere.”
“Monkey in the middle.”
Middle school.
Middle child.
Now those are middles I’m familiar with. But the Sacred Middle? That one gave me pause.
It didn’t feel sacred. It felt stuck.
Caught between symptoms and a diagnosis, I found myself suspended in uncertainty. I was in the middle with no clear answer and no clear way out.
So I did what many of us do. I researched. Then researched some more.
Armed with knowledge and suggestions, I tried to help, but was repeatedly ignored. My efforts weren’t received, and slowly I began to feel like a nag.
Now what?
What should have come first finally came next: I turned to God. I asked Him what I should do and waited for His response. And, of course, He answered.
But His answer surprised me. “Work on yourself.”
What should have come first finally came next: I turned to God.
What? That wasn’t what I expected.
Still, I’ve learned that when I bring my concerns to God, His responses often bypass my assumptions. I may ask about someone else, but the refining usually begins with me.
And that’s when the sacred entered my middle.
One evening, during a prayer gathering, a brave and faithful friend approached me with a word from the Lord:
“Start praying dangerous prayers.”
I agreed, but quietly wondered—what does that even mean?
Soon after, I discovered Craig Groeschel’s book Dangerous Prayers, and it became a turning point. The prayer that pierced my heart was from Psalm 139:
Search me, God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
—Psalm 139:23–24 (NIV)
I began to personalize it as I prayed:
You have searched me and You know me (Psalm 139:1).
You perceive my thoughts. You see the frustration and the offenses I carry.
Help me, Lord. Show me. Lead me.
And show me He did.
He revealed my offensive ways—not to shame me, but to heal me. He didn’t just expose what was broken. He walked with me through the process of transformation. Because He promises never to leave us.
Another friend reminded me of this truth: if I remain connected to Him through the Holy Spirit, if I abide, I will bear fruit. Not just any fruit, but the kind that lasts:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
He revealed my offensive ways—not to shame me, but to heal me. He didn’t just expose what was broken. He walked with me through the process of transformation. Because He promises never to leave us.
The test of this growth always comes in the middle. And when it does, I’m learning to stay rooted in Him.
When I remain in the Vine, I can respond with kindness, gentleness, and love.
Now that’s sacred.
Not offensive. Not nagging. But Spirit-filled.
We all have our middles—those unresolved, in-between places where we long for answers or change.
What if instead of rushing to escape them, we asked God to meet us there?
Romans 8 reminds us that He works all things together for good; including the messy, murky middle.
Your “middle” might look like:
A difficult job
An empty nest
A strained marriage
Parenting challenges
Health struggles
Financial burdens
Deep grief or loss
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Whatever your middle looks like, it doesn’t have to be wasted.
What if the in-between is where transformation begins?
What if the middle becomes sacred ground?
Why not invite God into it?
Ask Him to shape you. To meet you.
And to make your middle a place where you flourish.
