Disconnected Electronic Rumination

I'm well behind the curve in respect to this concept of liminality, but I can definitely see how it works and its lasting effects. Chapter 5 of this breaks it down wonderfully. It's kinda like I knew it was there but didn't have the language or perspective to provide solid descriptors and analysis. From Wikipedia (so it must be true...lol), "Liminality is a period of transition where normal limits to thought, self-understanding, and behavior are relaxed - a situation which can lead to new perspectives." That pretty much describes it..."new perspectives" (or not so new).

Even though that definition is quite incomplete (because it's part of a much larger paragraph), there are important reasons why "normal limits to thought, self-understanding, and behavior are relaxed." Most notably, the person or people group finds itself in the midst of struggle. It's like a journey from adolescence to adult...resident to full practitioner, student to teacher. Such transitions require (sometimes) extreme experiences of struggle, despair, heartache, doubt, strife, hopelessness, ineptitude, and so on. It is during these experiences that we depend upon, rely, lean on, come near, lift up, grow together, sacrifice, embrace, and carry with each other for each other. Such experiences develop bonds that are not easily broken.

As odd (and countercultural) as it may sound, we are thankful for liminality and must be a people running into the liminal. As God continues to bring order from chaos, we too as his agents, discard the shackles of safety, security, and predictability to run wild, free, and difficult with our Lord and each other. Like a firefighter running into a burning building, we must go.