Acts 25 - The Space Between
Acts 25 - The Space Between
Is there something you have been waiting for, for a long time? Maybe you have been saving your money for years to be able to buy your first house. Or, you have been putting aside for your first international vacation. Or, I know many friends who desire deeply to have children, but are still waiting and hoping one day soon they can get pregnant.
The space between the idea, the prompting, or the calling placed upon our lives and the actual event can be challenging. I don’t know about you, but ideally, for me, the space between idea and action is really short. Yes, this highlights in me a bit of inpatient tendencies, and we see this all through our culture today. Instant gratification plagues us and drives us always to want the space between to be as short as possible.
Taking this down a little different tangent for a moment, last night in our Bible study, we were talking about an incident that happened with a few of our friends in the group. There was a bit of a flare-up on social media; some thoughts and words were expressed on a post, and next thing you know, it had gone nuclear. Unfortunately, this is not the exception, and it is often the rule on social media. A few of our friends were in the middle of it, and some text messages were even sent in the midst of it due to someone who was taking up and defending his wife, who he thought was being attacked on this post. It sounded like a mess, and it produced some significant tension and strained a few relationships.
As I process this, there was zero space between thought and response. With social media, text messaging, and digital technology, the space between is zero. However, the relational dynamic and empathy for human interaction and emotion are also near zero. Text inside a comment box, and words inside a text message can be typed at lightning speed and sent in a millisecond, and the space between the interaction is near zero. But the reality in this situation and so many situations like these is the interaction is missing the humanity component, the empathy of physical presence, and the pure essence of compassion. You see, what we discussed was if these people on the other side of a comment box or text message were face to face at a dinner table, the conversation and the interaction would have looked different, and it would have taken a different turn. In reality, each person may have still had their same opposing opinions. Each person would have even thought what they thought, but the space between words and the space between interactions would have been filled with humanity and compassion, and the interaction would have been civil and honoring.
Instant gratification can often lead us to buyer's remorse or, like the story above, can lead us to great disappointment in our behavior. We can often desire the space between to be short, and forget how powerful the waiting process can be. Paul understood the power of the space between; he lived much of his life in this space. Reading here in Acts 25, continuing from chapter 24, we are learning about a massive about of time, two years of waiting, and uncertainty about getting to Rome. This is something that we read, and can just quite honestly skim right over. What began years back with a radical transformation in the life of Saul, Jesus spoke life and altered the direction of his life. Jesus rerouted Saul, gave him purpose, and a calling, and now Paul is on a mission, and his mission has encountered a lot of space between. Space between a clear mission Jesus put on Paul's life and Paul's ability to deliver the Gospel to Rome.
May we remember when we read this text that God uses the space between to work out the details and prepare the way in ways we just don’t always understand. Paul modeled for us well in the space between, here in these few chapters, we know that Paul connected with humanity, and expressed deep love with those he was in a relationship with. Paul wrote many letters, letters we know today as books in the Bible, letters to friends, and churches laced with love and compassion. In the space between Paul's ministry, we can also see how God was paving the way, working some details out that allowed for some amazing works of God to unfold and for other lives to be eternally impacted with Jesus.
The Space Between, not always a space we enjoy, but I pray that it is a place we can find a sense of peace in and not always rush through it. God, continue to do your work in us. Transform our hearts and our minds so we can see as you see and hear as you hear. Give us today the peace and understanding we need to rest and be human in the space between. May we put our trust in you and honor and glorify you with our lives today. Amen.