The Beauty Between 

“When the sky is falling 

When life is a dream 

I fortunately fall into the beauty between” 

These words come from a beautifully challenging song by the band King’s Kaleidoscope. When I hear words like these, I take time to pause and reflect on their deeper meaning. In moments “when the sky is falling” we feel that things could not get any worse. On the flipside of that, sometimes life can be made of moments that feel powerful and success drives us and motivates us. Throughout the song (which I highly recommend listening to or at the very least reading through the lyrics of), the artist asks us if we have truly found a place in our life where we have learned to trust God wholeheartedly. Have we truly decided to accept that God has the ultimate power and ultimate control over our life and others’ lives? I want to examine the emotional representation of each of these lyrical realms and find a new way forward.  

When the Sky is Falling 

These are the moments that we freeze, we tense up, we become anxious and fearful, desperate for a lifeline. Our mind and body are telling us this is not safe, and we should be worried about how bad it is going to get. We are all too familiar with how this feels and yet it is hard to prevent. This is the moment when the sun is setting, and we can’t imagine how things will ever get better. In these moments we look to God, we look to our friends and family, we look to our mentors and supporters, and we say “I need you. I need your help” We must first admit our pain to accept the healing. 

We don’t look forward to these days, but we can look to them for guidance. These are where the toughest lessons are learned and they serve as a reminder that despite the hurt, the confusion, the anger, things do get better. Circumstances can change and so can our minds. We adapt and reenergize to draw our attention forward and upward. 

When Life is a Dream 

These are the good days. The days where all your plans seem to work in your favor. Your boss gives you a compliment on your work, your kids eat their whole dinner, your headaches disappear. These are the mountaintop days where we can lose sight of how we got this far. On days like these, are we praising God for helping guide our feet along the path that directed us here? Do we forget to stop and appreciate the difficult journey that allows this moment to be as magnificent as it is? 

When our head is in the clouds, we never want to come down. This feels comfortable and safe, joy feels right. We stare out at a never-ending sunset that paints the sky with colors never yet perceived and sit in awe of God’s creation. What could possibly go wrong on a day like this, right? And yet, circumstances change and so can our minds. We wake up the next day and for some reason it doesn’t feel quite as magnificent up here in the clouds. We wonder how long I can last and who or what will bring us down. 

The Beauty Between 

This is where we spend most of our time. But in all honesty, we forget how beautiful the in between moments are. I can think of so many days where I look at my children and forget how much they have grown and how much I have grown right along with them. We forget the small wonders and the Guiding Hand. The beauty that can be found in between the mountains and valleys of life rests solely in our ability to accept the mountains, the valleys, and the paths that we walk to reach them just as they are. A mountain is a mountain and should be celebrated. A valley is a valley and should be a time for reliance and humility. The path that leads us there is a reminder that for each step we take, God is there with us. 

Our hope is to look at these days and find time to practice gratitude. Gratitude for the safety God provides in the comfort of the knowledge of Him. Gratitude for the ups, the downs, and everything that happens to bring us where we are. Knowing that both good days and bad days have happened and will continue to happen can help us to see the in-between days for the rare beauty they are. I find myself reminded of Matthew 11:28 when it says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The Beauty Between is what we find when we lay our trust, our cares, our worries, our successes, our failures, our burdens, at the feet of God and find a place to rest.