Thresholds

"But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

(Isaiah 43:18 NLT)

Whilst in a sabbatical period, I read a journal article about thresholds.

The writer, a messianic Jew, spoke of the importance of the mezuzah on 

the doorpost of Jewish homes, a reminder of God’s protection and holiness.

On one side is written the Sh’ma – the great Jewish prayer beginning

“Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one”.

On the other side of the doorpost is written ‘Shaddai’,

the Hebrew acronym meaning ‘guardian of the doorways of Israel’.

Passing through the threshold, it is traditional to touch the mezuzah.

This got me thinking about doorways – those holes in walls – through which we pass from one place to another.

If a wall is a boundary, marking one side from the other, the doorway is what links the two;

the threshold is what we have to cross in order to pass through.

Thresholds are not just physical; any part of our life’s journey that requires us to move from one stage to another, any transition that requires us to move from what was into what will become, requires us to cross a threshold.

For me, it was moving countries.

My threshold experience enabled me to let go of dreams and friends 

in order to step into the unknown future that God planned for me.

It was a spacious place to explore changes to my dreams, desires, passions, values; 

a space and time to consider, re-orient, let go of the old and grab hold of the new;

a time to explore what to take with me, what to leave behind;

a time to lean into God and to listen, to take one step at a time;

to receive outrageous grace and relentless love as He pursued me in the wildness of the threshold.

Two phrases sustained me through this threshold experience:

‘...lean not on your own understanding...’  (Proverbs 3:5)

‘...be transformed by the renewing of your mind...’  (Romans 12:2)

During life we all pass through thresholds, yet we don’t always fully recognise the value of the ‘in-between’ space, of the ‘betwixt and between’ place that opens up when we prepare to move from what was to what will be.

As you reflect on current changes in your life,

what is God asking you to let go of so that you can grasp the new?

How can you embrace and enjoy your threshold place?

‘This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

Posted 13/1/16