We spend one third of our life asleep. Nine years watching television. And a woman spends a year and a half of her life cleaning (for men, the figure is considerably less).
Has anyone calculated how much time the average Joe spends in a hallway?
Isaiah 22:22 reassures us that when God closes a door, he opens another. But what happens when a door closes and another one doesn't open? How do you handle life in the hall?
Longing to move on yet stuck in the middle. Ready to run but the baton not passed on. Life is moving all around but you are standing still. Hallways are blank, small, and empty spaces. A means to an end. The prelude to the main event.
But imagine a home with no hall. An office building without a corridor. Where doors lead from one room to another without transition. It would be unpleasant and awkward.
Halls are more valuable than they seem. Transitions are a natural part of life. Human babies have a nine month gestation. Toddlers learn to crawl before they walk. Teenagers receive a learner's license before permission to drive. Couples are engaged before they marry. The transitory purpose is more than optional, it is necessary.
The Bible is full of examples of people in transition. Joseph was in the hallway of prison. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. David's vestibule was a cave. Jesus' hallway was forty days of prayer and fasting. Paul's metamorphosis was blindness.
As you can see, hallways aren't pleasant leads-me-beside-still-water experiences. They are stifling, yet vital in moving forward. Be thankful for the hallway.
1. Embrace the Hallway
An interior designer might explain the hall as a cleansing of the palate. Hallways give respite from the business of the previous room, and prepare you for the sensory stimulation of the next.
The same is true for our lives. We need hallways. Space between projects is necessary. Jumping from one stage of life headlong into another is not wise. A recipe for burnout.
Hallways are a time of rest. The exasperation of upheaval can heighten stress, but relax. Enjoy the break. Learn to stop and smell the roses. Embrace the hallway. You won't be there forever.
2. Your Worth is Found in Christ
Plenty of people are secure in ministry or career, however take it away and they crumble in a heap. Significance is through Christ, not what you do. Being comfortable doing nothing is a good sign. If you find yourself going stir crazy take a look at where you find validation.
You are loved by Almighty God, Creator of all. He loves you because you are his. Let go of the doing. Focus on being. Being his child. Being alive. Being whole. The hallway will sort itself out.
3. What Happens in the Hallway Changes You Forever
Hallway moments take a whole lot of patience and trust. You can ask questions, just don't expect answers. Kick and scream, but in the hall, nobody is going to hear. It's a process.
My husband and I have been living in the hallway for a little while now. The next door is not completely open, but ajar. Hall time almost over.
I wish I could tell you I practiced what I preach, but I yelled, questioned and struggled, through the depth and darkness of this perplexing time.
But through the hall I grew.
I learned to trust God without the answers.
I learned to wrestle and be left with a limp.
I learned to be angry and not take it out on others.
I learned to wait for God's timing and favor to collide.
I learned to love him when things weren't going according to plan in the blank, claustrophobic, awkward hallway.
Transition births momentum - passion and enthusiasm for the next phase, a hope of things to come. Hold on, friend. You will not be in the hallway forever. Your time will come. God is about to open a door no man can shut. Savor your time in the hallway, for the next phase is explosive.
What have you learned in the hallway of life?
I'm Sarah Coleman, an Aussie passionate about Jesus & family. Through blogs and books I minister life and encouragement. Download my FREE eBook, Be Amazing: You Know You Want To. Find more of my thoughts at sarahcoleman.com.au.