Understanding the In-Between Moments

The danger in a liminal space is that we try to fill it with too much excess insight, driven by impatience, not by revelation.

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My wife Jan and I were on a conference call with two dear friends who work on the cutting edge of Kingdom innovation. During our call, we talked of a sense we have that we have entered an in-between moment in history where the future is not yet fully defined. This in-between place is a time of transition where we are departing from what was known to embrace a future that is not yet fully defined.

Cultural anthropologists define these times of passage as liminal moments. Liminal is a word that means we are on the threshold of something new. It is a moment of a new Kingdom consciousness where we move from one understanding to the next. It is akin to the state between waking and sleeping where we transition between two realities. Significant transformation takes place in these liminal transition experiences. It is in this space of time where the Kairos moments of God occur.

The danger in a liminal space is that we try to fill it with too much excess insight, driven by impatience, not by revelation. We try to prematurely address what is still unknown to us but known to God yet not fully revealed. Nervous believers can transmit a lack of trust in a liminal moment projecting too much prophetic-sounding noise and activity into these times of uncertain passage. It creates confusion by not resting in the last word given by the Lord before the transition began. A liminal time from a Kingdom perspective is a place where waiting for the Lord to act before we act is critical if we hope to not be derailed by a human empowered directives or quick-fix solutions.

Rest, trust, and waiting on the Lord is our power base in liminal times of transition. These three will be our greatest challenge but they will produce the most profound fruit for those willing to embrace their calling.

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins

Featured Image by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash

 

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About the Author

Garris Elkins is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. He and his wife, Jan, serve the global Church through writing, speaking, and mentoring. They live in southern Oregon, tucked away in the foothills of the Rogue Valley. Their shared desire is to have each person learn how to hear the heart of God and become a transforming voice in their culture.