A VOICE IN BETWEEN

My life is currently in a canyon of transition. I can see the other side that is my destination. I just can’t tell how long it is going to take to get there.

I stipulate this is a canyon instead of the valley because the transition that will come when I reach the other side appears to be a positive one. Which makes waiting even more difficult than normal. And in my case since I have no patience to start with so waiting is for me about as much fun as having a severely broken bone.

It is in times like this though that I try to sort out the inner voice that comes from the Lord’s spirit and the one that Satan seeks to inspire. It can be difficult at times to cope with having all those doubts barking at one and not be prone to at least worry about if God will in this situation keep his word.

Complicating the whole process is the memories of the times when I assumed God’s will meant one result and it turned out to be wrong. So that too lingers in my thoughts that help to suggest this canyon will end up with a destination I will never reach.

Yet through it all, I do what I can to cling to the voice that came before the canyon was reached. That inspired me to begin heading in a given direction. And that is the voice I continue to listen for during the in between times of having left one side of a canyon and moving towards the other edge.

We are in reality spirit of both light and darkness. Some try to separate the two and think you can reach a point of pure light in this life that will be absent any shadows or darkness.

But the true eternal day of genuine enlightenment will only come when we stand before our Lord and Savior. Until then when we open our hearts and soul to trust the lord and allow his light to burn within we also open a door that means the dark can come too.

Some either don’t understand this or presume you can buffer yourself from the devil’s intrusions. I’ve even seen those that have so downplayed Satan’s capacity to confuse and lend darkness to our lives they make it seem like you can totally ignore his presence and reach some level of being impervious to his efforts.

Such ignorance is the quickest way to make one extra vulnerable to his seductive ways. And that isn’t what the walk of faith is about. If you are walking barefoot and have to cross a sticker patch, it is the epitome of pride and foolishness to think you won’t at least step on some stickers.

Grant allows these voices in between, both from his light and the darkness as part of our testing in terms of faith. We may not always enjoy the process, but it is one we can’t avoid as long as we continue to trust him.

Does that mean we will never make mistakes or head off in the wrong direction or never error in assuming some test is a canyon rather than a valley? The answer is no. And the real joy comes not from pretending we are beyond such points of challenge, but listening for the real voice in between.