Mark 5:1-2 “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat…”
If you look real close you might find the dot on the map where Jesus and His disciples started walking, and then where they stopped.
Honestly, sometimes I’m still flabbergasted that in one small verse Jesus may have traveled mile after mile. What I read in less than three seconds would’ve taken them a day or more to walk on foot.
Those are the ‘in betweens’… the transitions between amazing stories of Jesus healing someone and then moving to another place where He has a royal rumble with the local religious leadership.
Those stories are exciting, powerful and very important lessons, but between them is the drab, mundane, plodding along from point A to point B, otherwise known as the ‘in betweens’.
Those in between moments aren’t really worthy of publication, and they don’t get your attention, but in reality there would be no great story after story if you didn’t have the connections in between.
Most of our life isn’t spent on the mountaintops, or in the incredible climax of adventure. Life is mostly about the valleys in between, the day today duties and responsibilities that get us to the high points of life.
Peter was there when Jesus raised that little girl from the dead, but he was also there on the boat ride that took the entire night before. James saw Jesus throw down on the Pharisees and shame them for their religious pride, but he also spent the days before walking dusty roads, sleeping on the ground and just staying close to Jesus.
They aren’t fun, they aren’t glorious, but without a doubt they are necessary… the ‘in betweens’.
It’s on the ‘in between’ days that we develop our faithfulness, endurance, and steadfastness. It’s on those days we learn to listen to, follow after and be near Jesus, so that on those other more exciting days, following Him will only be natural.
Life is not about transporting yourself from mountaintop to mountaintop. It’s about reaching the peak by doing the hard work in the valley followed by the slow climb to the top, all the while letting Jesus lead the way.
Just as Jesus disciples followed him everywhere, walked with Him countless miles, and hit the road between those amazing stories, so we should also be faithful in the ‘in betweens’.
Don’t forget, if today you’re on the ‘in betweens’, it means you’re on the road to someplace great.
Be faithful. Follow Jesus. You’ll get there.