Getting Stalled In The Middle -- Time for Research, Rest, and Rejuvenation ~ Guest post by Martina Keast

In therapy, the arts and education, the liminal space is the place of research. 

We enter this space between and explore what arises, 

open to new discoveries that feed the artistic 

and intellectual need to grow and evolve. 

The liminal space we step into is created 

by an agreement to suspend our usual ways of thinking and moving. 

(Scott- Alexander, 2020, pp. 35-36. Used with permission)

 

Getting stalled in the middle is a blessing. I see your eyes expanding and a wrinkle forming on your forehead. You wonder if I know what I am talking about here.

I had great expectations. Martina, sit down at the computer, write the paper or book, and voila, it’s finished. Writing is not that simple, I learned. 

I no longer presume my process is complete without inviting others for feedback and editorial assistance. My writing improved in the community and through collaboration. 

As I continued sharing my work with others for critique, I learned to take time for research, exploration, and practical application of what I shared with my readers.

Insecurity and negative self-talk can both be writing blocks. Self-sabotage, when welcomed, is a stalling agent. Many unpublished books written years ago collect dust on the shelf.

When I got stalled in the middle, I thought I lacked the skill to complete the projects, that I had misunderstood God’s calling, and that it was time to quit.

However, even though I burned one manuscript out of frustration, the drawing to write did not leave me.

What was I to do? Three ways of engaging the liminal space, the time in-between.  

Research: Daily Bible reading, devotionals, worship, prayer, Two-Way Journaling, participating in weekly accountability groups, mentoring, Stop! Rest! Take notes and go over these notes. Invite others to participate in pilot project online classrooms, be Beta readers, and be part of the online book writer’s club I started about two years ago. Offer in-person workshops, step off the springboard in total faith, and trust God covers me. 

Rest: Phew! That is only a partial list of my research. What would my life be like if I didn’t take a Sabbath, time to have an afternoon nap, walk, enjoy nature, paint, and sit in the sun? What if I didn’t make time for family and friends? Can you, dear reader, relate? 

What is happening around me now, at this moment? Not on the computer screen, iPhone, or social media, but just passed the top of the computer. The sun is bright and leaves many shadows between the trees. I see squirrels, nicknamed Chip and Dale, running between the trees. Once, carrying a spruce cone, then back again, empty. I smell the tempting charbroiled food from the golf course restaurant. HM. 

Rejuvenation: I am rejuvenated and reenergized when I take time to breathe and keep my eyes off my projects. I stopped thinking, as was my habit for years, about what I needed to be doing at this moment. Nothing, just be. I picture Jesus with me, the Holy Spirit at work in my life, and others I’ve been praying for, loving my life, even the liminal space. I trust I have something to learn or experience before I continue writing and adding to my books and workbooks. 

Time for research:

God showed me there is always more to learn. If I spend the time meditating on Him, His Word, and expressing myself creatively through song, creative expressive arts, and the written word, He will help bring my head and heart into a state of coherence. A time of balance, where the creative flow will freely stream. I make sense of the topic at hand when thinking critically and express my thoughts and feelings on paper or in conversation.

Time for rest from writing:

God also showed me that a time of exploration is nurtured by feeding my artistic and intellectual side as I surrender to His leading. This rest time incorporates observing the Sabbath, meditating, listening to the Lord, and spending active time with Him.

Time for rejuvenation:

I experience a time of rejuvenation when I suspend my usual ways of thinking and moving forward. Instead of following my understanding, I trust in Jesus and follow Him, His calling, while actively engaging in meditation, Bible Reading, and worship.

***

I’ve learned to see the liminal space or the time when I stalled in the middle as a positive time. I listen carefully to where the Lord is leading me, what my family needs or not, or pay attention to other priorities. Sometimes there are other projects to engage in; the break revitalizes my creativity. When the time comes, I can write freely again. I’ve learned more about the topics at hand. I’ve learned to trust the process.

This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. Titus 3:8

How about you, dear reader? Have you found the in-between time to be profitable?