Are You Trapped in the Tortured Middle?

How confident are you in your way of life? In how you make decisions and deal with difficulty? In how you live as a single person or as a spouse? In how you parent? In how you carry out your purpose? Has your approach to life been pressure-tested? When the bombs drop and the bullets fly, how well do you respond? How about when tragedy hits? When you have to suffer? When you’re faced with financial insecurity or job loss? When you are confronted with sickness or disease or the rejection of someone you love?

How confident are you, really, in your way of life?

I find so many Christians whose life motto is “I’m doing the best I can.” Others lay claim to “I’m doing what I think is best.” But I don’t see evidence that Jesus came to earth, was crucified, resurrected, and then enthroned in heaven so that we could get by doing the best we can or what we think is best.

People who are doing the best they can, or what they think is best are trapped in what I call “the tortured middle.” They’re stuck between living full-on in Jesus and denying the faith. Christians who are dwelling in that miserable middle ground won’t deny Jesus, yet they also can’t understand why they’re not living the fullness of life they see in Jesus, the life they read about, or hear pastors preach about. The abundant life of Christ looks to them as a dream that “must be for everyone else, but not for me.”

In that pivotal moment at sea (Mark 4), Jesus communicated that something greater—a new way of life—is available. He wanted His disciples, then and now, to break out of the prison of the middle and live with the same clarity and confidence as He did. To run their lifelong race with His unabated passion and boldness.
Friends, do you realize how much more God wants for you? What He desires for you is well beyond salvation. Revelation 3:20 tells us He’s at the door, but we can’t leave Him there, we need to invite Him in. How powerful would your life be if Jesus became your teacher? Your example? Your Lord?

Who wouldn’t want that life?

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).”

Jesus came, as both a man and as the Son of God. We can move from the tortured middle to the abundant life He promises. The good news for us today is that His way can be ours. If we will sit with Him, listen, and observe, He will gladly show us the “secrets” of His life.

What does your personal “tortured middle” look like? Are you ready to move away from it and let Jesus guide you to a new, transformed life? How can I help you begin the journey?

Jim is a frequent speaker and the author of several books, including BE: The Way of Rest, the first in a series of books devoted to his greatest passion in the Lord, and a crucial need of the church today–discipling people and sending them to disciple others.