The Middle Is Important
The middle pops up a lot in life. Meet me in the middle. Middle school. The middle child. In the middle of an event. In the middle of life. Have you ever thought about what occurs in the middle? Or even why the middle is important?
In training for a race – you train for the middle. The hardest part. The mentally draining part. The physically challenging part. If you – the runner – doesn’t make it through the middle – you won’t cross the finish line. It requires training to succeed. For everyday life – we train for the same purpose.
We are born – we begin our life – in all hopes to cross that finish line into heaven one day…. Anonymous.
In the middle of life, we often experience hiccups, or hardships, or struggles:
In the middle of friendships
In the middle of dating
In the middle of marriage
In the middle of education
In the middle of your career
In the middle of a pandemic
In the middle of a life transition
In the middle of waiting on answers
In the middle of a health scare
In the middle of raising children
Recently, I completed a great devotional called – You’re Not Finished Yet (which is where this week’s viewpoint and context was adapted from). The author has a great perspective on the ‘middle’ of life or even the ‘middle’ of anything. In the middle – this is where it is the most tedious, the most difficult and the most tiresome. It can be where we are most challenged and where we just want to quit.
How Do We Not Quit?
The key: Endurance.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, endurance is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. If we build endurance and train ourselves [in faith], we will have the strength to make it through the middle – all of the middles we may experience.
Ways to Boost Your Endurance:
- Start your day with a great devotional. We are more likely to be satisfied with the outcome of our day if we begin it in a positive way, then if we get up dreading what lies ahead of us. Try Mornings with God by Joyce Meyer
- Get a good night sleep – according to www.sleepfoundation.org – adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night. This will provide you with the rest required to be at your best each day
- Start your day with gratitude – write down at least 5 things you are grateful for each day
- Exercise – doing regular exercise throughout your week (at least 3x/week for at least 30 minutes a session) will help relieve any tension or stress and boost your physical and mental energy.
- Speak nicely to yourself – how you speak about yourself will determine the joy you have throughout the day. Click HERE to read a past blog about affirmations
So, as you enter the middle of a situation, event, timeline, life, relationship, or career – although it may be easy to become discouraged, frustrated, exhausted, or even ready to pack it in – dig deep and remember, this is what you have trained for. Just like in the middle of a book – the middle isn’t where all the answers are. The middle is where the confusion occurs. Where the frustration happens. Where those head shaking moments take place. But! With each flip of a page and each chapter completed, you will reach a point where you think, ‘Ahhhh’. Now I understand!
The middle is the teaching moment:
In your relationships
In your career
In your everyday health
In your friendships
In life
Are you in the middle right now? Unsure what your next step is? Worried about your health? Struggling with a relationship? Just remember, you are strong and God will provide you with all the answers you need. You aren’t finished your purpose at this point in time. Tomorrow, a new page will be flipped and a whole new chapter of insight will be revealed.
“Fairy tales do not start, nor do they end, at the dark forest. That’s only something that shows up smack dab in the middle of the story, but it will all work out. It may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does. But believe me, it will all work out, exactly as it’s supposed to.” Ted Lasso (from the TV show Ted Lasso on Apple TV)
