“Liminal”…it’s a word that I thought I had imagined as I
groped for something to describe "being neither in one place nor in
another." However, recently I have
found this word, “liminal,” as I did my usual surfing about the Web, skipping in
ADHD fashion from one topic to another.
Finally – confirmation of this word that even sounds tentative.
I have had many liminal times in my life. Sometimes it’s a feeling of being completely
outside of normal time and space, and other times (usually) it’s only one
aspect of my life that’s in a liminal state.
One example of a liminal period is when I wrestled with the idea of
leaving the church where I first embraced the Anglican expression of Christian
faith. I no longer felt I belonged there,
but neither did I belong anywhere else, yet.
When I think back on that time and other liminal times, the main image I
get is one of searching, seeking
something, somewhere, but oftentimes not even knowing exactly what I would
find. I think it would be very easy to
get lost in such a fog, if there weren’t a guide to walk along with me. Such a guide would be one with greater
knowledge and better sight than mine; otherwise, we’d both simply wander about,
lost in this liminal fog.
As I reflect on these times, I find that my guide has been
the Holy Spirit. As I prayed and
listened to the Spirit, I was guided to people, books, and yes, even websites
that helped me find the direction I needed to take. In the case of my liminal time between
churches, I was advised to visit other churches and “listen to what is being
said – and not just the words.” And with that, the Spirit would gently lead me to the next place that would serve as my
spiritual home.
Now, as I did then, I need to reach out to my guide, the
Holy Spirit. I can listen to the
Spirit’s voice as I pray, study, worship, and serve others.
When I do so, I won’t get lost. I'll find my way.
Photo Credit: By Oliver Herold (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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