Warriors, Picket Fences and Getting Stuck

Somewhere In The Middle – Casting Crowns

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle


To me it seems there is no worse place to be than stuck in the middle. In a state of limbo. A state of indecision. As the song says, you are neither hot nor cold, nor new or old, etc.

There are some decisions in life that are easy to make. And others are next to impossible. It seems sometimes that you will lose no matter what decision you make but need to trust that you have made the best one. To have faith that you have made the right one.

As much as we are supposed to pray for everything both good and bad, so often we end up just calling out to God during our times of need - at times when we need to make decisions. We are supposed to cast all our cares and worries on Him, but also to praise Him in thanksgiving for all the good in our lives as well.

There comes a time in our lives when we will all be stuck in the middle. Have a lukewarm faith. I’m there now. I long for that fire. That closeness. That passion. But it seems so many things keep stepping in my way. I think it comes down to the one line of the song “Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control.” I’m a control freak. I’ll admit it. I like order. I like to know what is going on at all times. I like to plan everything around me. Surrendering control seems completely impossible for me. But I have taken the first step.

On Good Friday I walked up the aisle to the cross and I nailed something to it, then took communion. I surrendered something from my life over to God. I decided at that moment I could no longer carry that burden. I surrendered it to God. I have been wanting to do it and mentally already had, but being physically able to “nail it to the cross” lifted a huge weight from my shoulders and from my heart. I immediately felt a sense of freedom. I felt God’s love flow over my body and fill my heart. For one moment, I finally didn’t feel like I was just “lukewarm”. I felt a fire inside – a warmth – a sense of peace. This was a feeling I wouldn’t trade for the world.

I want to live a life I can be proud of. I want to be strong and fearless. I want to set an example for my children. I want them to look at me one day and say “I’m so glad you are my mom”. I want to know that I’ve been a positive influence on peoples lives around me. I want to be a fearless warrior. I want to live the life He has planned for me. I want to have faith that can move mountains. I want to love like nothing else. I want to give all I am and all I have to make life better for others.

But first I need to learn to surrender, or else I’ll always be stuck in the middle. I don’t want to be in the middle. I want to be high on that mountain, rejoicing in the clouds, not just found somewhere in the middle.