Happy last Monday of the year!
A friend texted me that this morning, and I had no idea it was going to trigger me to tears.
This has been one of the hardest years I’ve lived, lots of grieving. What’s surprising is that I’m only just discovering language for that grief this week.
Have you ever heard of the term liminal?
A liminal season is a transitional period where you are no longer who you were, but not yet who you’re becoming. It’s an in-between phase, when an old way of being has ended and a new one hasn’t fully emerged. Some even refer to this last week of the year as the liminal week.
For me, this year has been filled with fear, uncertainty, and disorientation. But discovering this language has brought clarity and understanding.
I’ve been saying all year that I feel like I’m in a hallway, waiting for the next door to open. And as a planner and an ambitious go-getter, this waiting has shaken me. I didn’t recognize who I was anymore.
But today I was reminded of something that stopped me in my tracks:
“You are still recognizable to God, even if you’re not recognizable to yourself.
He has not lost track of you.
You are not drifting.
You are being held, even in an unmarked season.”
It’s okay to stop being the one who keeps everything together and simply be kept.
God recognizes people long before they recognize themselves.
The Bible is full of people who found themselves unrecognizable in liminal spaces:
Joseph—thrown into prison after being falsely accused.
The Israelites—wandering in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land.
The disciples—after the crucifixion of Jesus, before the resurrection.
God doesn’t need us to fully understand or clearly see His next move. He moves without our permission. He doesn’t require our awareness in the moment, but He deeply cares about us while it’s happening.
This year might have been more bearable if I had understood this season sooner. But hindsight is 20/20.
As this year comes to a close, I do believe I’m entering a season of new beginnings. And I’m ending the year with this understanding:
I don’t need to trust what I can’t see.
I trust the One who’s in charge.
Happy liminal week.
If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear what God has been doing in your liminal season.
What feels like it has ended this year, even if nothing officially changed?
What might it look like to stop striving in this season and allow yourself to be kept?
Where have you noticed God’s presence, even without clarity?
What door feels closed behind you, and what are you waiting to open?