Music Monday– The In Between

I heard this song for the first time a few weeks ago and it really struck me. I don’t have a testimony of extremely bad living and then repentance. But I do know what it’s like to be one way and then in one day become different. In some ways, the change is slow. But in so many other ways, it was immediate. And the in between was Jesus.

My whole testimony would probably fill a book, but here are the parts relevant to this post. When I was nine years old, I heard about repentance and salvation for the first time. I believed God existed but my family did not attend church and I had no other teaching about God until a few months before this. Even then, I don’t recall being taught that repentance was the way to salvation. I heard it at a church summer camp that a friend paid for me to attend with her.

I was different after that. My friends said that they also asked Jesus in their heart and repented but they didn’t seem different. However, I was craving a change. I knew I needed it. I came from a broken family and abusive parents. I didn’t even really understand how bad it was at the time, just that I wanted things to be different and change. I wanted to break cycles and knew I needed the supernatural hand of God.

That wasn’t my only encounter with Jesus, though. When I was bullied in school for being a Christian, I needed another meeting. Several times in adulthood, I’ve needed Jesus to intercede and win my battles and change me. Healing from childhood trauma is such a long journey. I’ve had another amazing breakthrough recently, and it reminded me of this song. Jesus has the in between.

And just like it must have been for Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John–when Jesus calls, you can’t help but answer.

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-22