The Messy Middle
Its temporary.
Sometimes, to get your life back, you have to face the death of what you thought life would look like - gut punch.
Almost four years later, I still sometimes catch myself replaying moments or conversations in my head thinking what I could have done or said differently. But then I shake myself out of it, take a step back and remember that where I am now is because that conversation was or wasn’t had or that moment was real and monumental, no matter how big or small. It is part of the bigger plan.
It is always easier to look at the negative and reflect on what could have been done differently, but flip the script and look at the positive. Yeah, my life currently does not look at all like I had hoped for, but there are things that have happened over the years that I need to thank God for that would have not happened if I was still where I was. My career. The people I have met. The men I have dated. The places I have been. The feelings I have felt. The prayers I have prayed. Again, all part of the bigger plan.
When you are uncomfortable, that means you are growing. You are breaking free, out of your shell, and life is stretching you beyond what feels familiar, predictable, and emotionally safe. Sometimes the most uncomfortable seasons are the ones that change you the most. What is this uncomfortable feeling trying to show you?
The version of you, no longer fits for your future self
Between chapters - with no clarity, yet
Being forced to slow down and face what you have been avoiding
Pushed to take the leap - fearing the change is going to keep you stagnant. Jump!
Comparison. Envy. You are finally releasing the tension of these two and allowing God’s plan for your to unfold
That’s the whole point of the messy middle: it’s temporary. It’s the hallway between who you were and who you are becoming. It’s the place where God does some of His quietest, most transformative work, often without giving you the clarity you think you need.
And when I start spiraling back into the “what ifs,” I remind myself that God has never once asked me to rewrite the past. He only asks me to trust Him with what’s ahead. “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
That verse hits differently when your life doesn’t look anything like you imagined. But maybe that’s exactly when it’s meant to. Because hope isn’t built in the moments that go according to plan—it’s built in the moments that break you open and force you to grow.
So if you are in that in‑between space - uncomfortable, stretched, unsure - don’t rush it. Don’t numb it. Don’t run from it. Let it shape you. Let it teach you. Let it strip away the version of you that can’t go where God is taking you next. The messy middle isn’t the end of your story. It’s the sacred ground where God prepares you for the chapter you can’t see yet.
Grace in the Gap -or- (The Messy Middle)
