The Gap
not the store, friends. The Gap in our lives that points to what we hope things will be, and what they really are.
I was just at IndyCC - a 4 day conference for college students - where the main speaker talked about The Gap.
The Gap between what you hoped your marriage would be, and what it is. (Imagine me putting one hand high (hoped it would be) and my other hand a space below that hand (what it is).
What you hoped your college career would be, and what it is.
What you hoped being a mom would be, and what it is.
What you hoped your spiritual life would be, and what it is.
What you hoped your body would be, and what it is.
What you hoped......you get it. Fill in your blank.
And there are those moments, the speaker talked about, that it IS what you hoped it would be - and it's amazing. It's awesome. You feel like you are in your element, doing, being, thinking exactly as you should be. And it's fleeting......soon back to what it is. Been there?
What do we do with The Gap? Three options: Ignore it, Run away from, or Embrace it.
Ignore it: There is no Gap in my life. It's perfect. I will smile and tell you so even though I am bored, lying or very hurt inside. Run Away from it: I will numb it for just a bit. I will eat something indulgent. I will drink just a bit more. I will submerse myself in television. Embrace it: Let The Gap drive you to the One who created You. Let The Gap take you to Jesus. (And what does that even mean?)
If I embrace The Gap then I look at the space where there is loss of hope fulfilled and I say - yep - I am lacking. I am totally in need. I need Someone greater than my Gap to fill it in for me. The disappointment, apathy, boredom is not how it was supposed to be. But here it is in all of our lives. And I let the Gap drive me to Jesus. And rest in Him. And by faith keep walking in The Gap, embracing and looking my need (Jesus) straight in the face.
(Am I preachin? Can I get an Amen?)
Life as it was supposed to be at Christmas...Daddy and my sister playing with kiddos and laughing....
