Review: The In-Between by Jeff Goins

In February, I found out I was pregnant. Like so many other newly pregnant moms, I expected to be welcoming a baby into our house 9 months later - a few short weeks from now, actually.

Instead, I miscarried a few weeks later.

Since then, I've been stuck living in the in-between.

Naturally, then, I was intrigued by Jeff Goins book, The In-Between , especially when I saw it contained a chapter entitled Expecting: The Path to Parenthood.

I must say, while that chapter disappointed me, the book did not.

To be honest, my disappointment with Jeff's chapter on Expecting has far more to do with me than him. In that chapter, as in the rest of the book, Jeff shares his personal story with readers. While a pregnancy scare results in an early delivery, ultimately, his story of Expecting still ends with the birth of his first child. In contrast, my first pregnancy did not. As a result, as I read this chapter, I struggled with feelings of jealousy, unsure how to learn to be content in this particular in-between from a man who's road to parenthood seemed relatively easy. 

Despite this one disappointing chapter, the truth is I enjoyed the rest of The In-Between immensely. Eventually, I even realized that regardless of their specific context, the in-betweens in our lives are always difficult. Upon recognizing this, I found hope in reading how Jeff navigated the in-betweens in his life.

Jeff is a gifted storyteller and as a result, the narrative throughout The In-Between is strong. The real strength of this book is, however, the wisdom sprinkled throughout. Jeff's nuggets of wisdom challenge and encourage readers to “recognize that the best moments are the ones happening right now” and remind them that joy is not meant only “for the experiences of a lifetime.”

Ultimately, Jeff's story serves as a poignant reminder that “God cares more about who we become than what we do.” To this end, Jeff raises an important question: “What if waiting was not simply some grand inconvenience, as we often treat it, but rather the very tool God uses to shape & change us?”

Since finishing The In-Between, as I've continued wrestling with this question, I've consciously tried to adopt Jeff's attitude: “Life hasn't turned out the way I thought it would. But I wonder if the proper response isn't, 'Oh God....' but rather, 'Thank God.'”

These are tough words for me to utter right now.

And yet they are, without a doubt, changing my perspective and reminding me that I daily live in the tension of the cross and the resurrection; In the tension of eagerly waiting and anticipating what's next while not losing sight of what God has for me in the here & now.