Did you know that joy doesn’t always show up as laughter? Sometimes, it’s simply holding on white-knuckled and tear-streaked to the belief that God is still good, even when life feels unfinished.
In your joy journey, you’re going to discover that life is like being on the most crazy roller coaster ride. We anticipate the ride with excitement and sometimes apprehension.
There you are on the platform of the roller coaster ride. As you wait, the roller coaster car comes to pick you up. You enter, strap yourself in and then it slowly takes off and then begins to accelerate into various speeds, curves, and dips. These changes during the ride may cause you to scream, laugh out loud, all the while you’re either waving your arms in the air or hopefully holding onto the safety bar.
As the ride returns to the ‘coaster depot platform’, the coaster car slows down and comes to a complete stop. The ride is over, yet the sensation of what you have just experienced may linger with more laughter, maybe more tears from being overcome by the ride, dizziness, weakened knees and possible thoughts of ‘why did I get on that ride in the first place?’
So after about 15 to 30 minutes you have had a chance to gather yourself and you move on to the next ride or maybe you’ve had enough for the day. Well, that time between getting on the ride and exiting the ride was an example of a ‘messy middle!’
If you’re in the middle of healing, I wrote this for you.
My Story: The Messy Middle
I used to think healing would be a straight line: pain, prayer, then peace. But I quickly learned that healing rarely happens in perfect order. It’s more like a sacred spiral two steps forward, one step back, and grace in every direction.
Some days I woke up ready to write, to worship, to move forward. Other days, the weight of my past, the noise of critics (usually those closest to me), or my own self-doubt made me want to hide.
But God never hides. Even when I felt stuck, He was shaping me. Even when I felt lost, He was leading. Even when I doubted my voice, He whispered back: “I’ve got you…because I AM!” I could so clearly hear his whisper and so I had to trust Him.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
What God Taught Me About Joy in Progress
Healing is holy, even when it’s slow! And joy isn’t just for the "after" moments. It’s for the in-between, too.
Here’s what God is teaching me:
You don’t have to be "done" to be used. God speaks through your “now”, not just your "neatly resolved later."
Joy in the middle is an act of trust. It says, "God, I may not feel healed, but I believe You’re still healing me."
Progress isn’t always visible. But it is always valuable. God honors every courageous step you take forward.
What I Want for You
If you're in the messy middle not broken, not fully restored, but somewhere becoming you’re not alone. You don’t need to rush your process. You don’t need to apologize for not being "there" yet. The messy middle is where it all happens, you just need to have faith that the Lord is working in you and through you.
God is in your middle.
He rejoices over your tiniest victories.
And He sees your becoming as beautiful.
A Gentle Invitation
This week, when the enemy whispers "you’re not enough," speak back: "But My God is!"
Choose one moment to celebrate even if it's just getting out of bed, journaling or even writing one sentence.
I'd love to hear from you: What is one thing you're trusting God with right now?
A Prayer for the Messy Middle
“Lord, I thank You that You don’t wait for us to be whole before You meet us. You walk with us through the wilderness. You sing over us in the silence. And You are the joy in the journey. Help my sisters trust that their middle is meaningful. In Jesus' name, Amen.”