Are you in the middle right now? My sister, who is the middle sister of the three of us siblings, always feels she is the go-between. Always has.
You may feel as if you are the arbitrator between two friends who are arguing right now. Perhaps you know a couple who are divorcing and you feel as if you need to choose sides, or are trying your best not to do so! But, you are wondering how you’ll be able to stay friends with them both?
Being in the middle can be an uncomfortable thing. You can feel like the fanciful lama-looking creature with two heads: the push-me-pull-you in the Dr. Doolittle books. It was always in a quandary as to which way to turn because each head was looking the other way.
But as Christians, we are called to be in the middle because God is in the middle of us. One of the reasons Jesus once walked the earth was so He could better reach out to humans. Now we, who have Him dwelling in us, are His hands and feet. We are called to do the same.
Is He urging you to smile and speak to that downcast Eeyore-like person at work no one likes. Is He calling you to not be offended by that grouchy customer but to respond in love instead? Perhaps you must be the one to forgive a friend from hurting you instead of waiting for the apology.
Jesus told His disciples –
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. John 15:19
As long as we are in this world, we will be caught in the middle. But that is where we can be used the most.
