Hope for those stuck in the in-between in the time of Coronavirus

You know you’re an in-betweener when you had a life and lost it and life has not yet returned to you, though you hope for it every day.  This is the place where some kind of enduring loss was forced upon you, and for years now you’ve been there, diligently waiting for the way out into a semblance of life that you once had.

Many, many people cannot help not to know the in-between version of life, because they continue bubbling along in their bubble.  They cannot be blamed, but we will have faced envy as we looked upon their indifference toward us in the past.

We understood why they didn’t get it, but it still hurt.

There is good news at hand out of this whole sordid global mess.  There will be an outpouring of compassion and empathy, simply because people all over the world will suffer similar things at the same time.  A global unity is rising.

Finally, you may have people come up to you and say, “Ah, okay, I get it now... this is loss, isn’t it?  I really had no idea how hard it was.”  And you can simply smile and say, “Yes, you’re right.  I’m here, by the way, to listen to your story,” because you’ve been there and you’re not indifferent to the present trials.

You have a head start,
which doesn’t make you better,
only better equipped —
at present, for the present.

The whole world is in shake-up mode right now.  There’s no way of putting it any other way.

No matter which way we look at it, the times we’re living in are sad and scary at the same time.

But you, the in-betweener, are familiar with sad and scary.  You’ve done sad.  And perhaps it’s more accurate to say you’re doing sad, and that you’ve gotten somewhat used to it, which is not to say you’re happy about it!  But you do accept it.

You’ve also done scared — which reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said:

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.  I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. ... I dread the moments when the house is empty...”

As an in-betweener, you’re in a position to lead with kindness, compassion, empathy, patience and gentleness.  There are many people who just now and in the months to come will make the transition from the normality of life into loss.  Many millions of will lose an elderly loved one prematurely, years before they would have died.  It’s a tragedy on a colossal scale whichever way you look at it.

Yet, you who are acquainted with adversity will help others as they are rocked by it.

The experience of loss has taught us something invaluable.  Once we’ve grieved at the depths, being taken to the depths again doesn’t have the same drastic impact.  Brokenness taught us compassion, and we’ve got compassion to share because of it.

As an in-betweener, and it’s not that you’re proud about being one, but you accept it’s been a long time since you felt the cool breeze of the easier life, you have less to fear than others do.

It puts you into a place of readiness, to do what the next season of life will require of you.

It means service, and it also means there are opportunities ahead even amid a calamitous time for the world.  These opportunities are not about exploitation, they’re about service, and how to use the gifts that have been acquired for the betterment of humanity, for the glory of God.

Photo by Kristine Weilert on Unsplash