The in-between
1:37am, 21st July 2024
Do you ever wish you could erase certain memories? Imagine being in a beautiful relationship where everything feels like absolute bliss. Then, out of nowhere, a memory surfaces—a moment from a rough patch you both endured. Suddenly, it’s as if time stands still. The butterflies fade, and with a deep breath, you wonder: “If only I could hit the backspace button on the in-between.”
That thought lingers, and soon, more flood your mind. Can I delete our pictures from that period? Can I delete the texts too? Maybe if I wiped it all away, I wouldn’t remember the pain of the past—I’d only have the good parts left.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has wrestled with thoughts like that. Let’s be honest: they can be incredibly tempting. If you deleted the texts, photos, and every trace of those moments, there would be no physical reminders of the rough patch. All that would remain would be the good times—nothing to bring the haze back.
But then I paused and asked myself: is that realistic?
[Comment]
I’ve started calling the in-between that moment in time when things weren’t so great. Think of it like this: you meet a new friend and become besties. Later, you go through a rough patch but eventually reconnect and grow closer again. The in-between is that tough stretch in the middle—the part of the story when the friendship was hard.
So why would we want to erase those memories entirely? Sometimes, the deep intimacy we share with the people we love exists because of the in-between. Just because a season includes pain, frustration, or not-so-great memories doesn’t mean it should be hidden. Often, the in-between is where relationships are strengthened, where understanding and love deepen.
It’s unrealistic to think relationships are only made of perfect, glossy polaroids. God has been teaching me to develop a new perspective on the past. Did some moments hurt? Absolutely. But even in pain, Jesus has a way of revealing gold. Instead of looking at your in-between as a time when you were hurt or let down, what if you searched for the gold?
Our stories are incomplete without the in-between. Imagine if Jesus had tried to erase the part where He suffered on the cross. What if He only spoke of His joyful moments—eating fish with His friends or reuniting with His Father? What kind of story would that be?
The power of Jesus’s story lies in His in-between. Could the same be true of your life? Your in-between holds power and gold—it’s where God shaped you, where you found strength, where transformation happened. It’s not a place of shame or something to forget. It’s the place where you were forged into something glorious.
As I sat with these thoughts, I took a deep breath and refocused on the gold. I am grateful for my story and accept every part of it.
Thank you, Papa, for my story—one with breadth and depth. Thank you for my in-between.
All my love,
Tumi
