Built For The Valley

“We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and the aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.” Oswald Chambers

Several years ago, in the wake of Revival meetings, our church was on a spiritual “high” of sorts.  At choir practice our music minister gave us this gentle warning: “It is at these times we are vulnerable to the enemy’s desire to discourage us. When we come down from the place where everything has a special glow about it and where our spirits soared in the palpable presence of the Lord, we are apt to feel a bit low as we enter once again into the ‘ordinary’ of daily life.”

It is the same sort of feeling I have when I am away on a vacation where I am seeing and experiencing new things and having a wonderful time. There is a feeling (albeit only temporary) that I have no cares or responsibilities. The pressures of life seem to vanish – until I return home and find they are all there waiting for me. There is no getting away from life. The house did not magically clean itself, the bills didn’t somehow get paid by a benevolent stranger, the doctor appointment I’ve been dreading is still pending, no one filled the pantry and refrigerator with the food we need, and the laundry basket is now full to overflowing.

This is the place where I have been called to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Here – amid the daily work of living. Here – where there is no one to applaud my efforts. Not many of us are called to great and glorious work, but we are all called. We may be asked to “prove our mettle” as we care for a sick child in the middle of the night, or baby sitting the children of a neighbor who needs our help. We may spend our days sitting at the bedside of an aging parent or suffering spouse. As we do the laundry, prepare the meals, scrub the toilet, any of those ordinary things that make up our day, we can do it “as unto Him.” Then it becomes our service – our offering to Him and to those we love.

We may work outside the home at a job that doesn’t seem to have eternal value. But we can be light and salt to those around us – those who have never heard the good news that Jesus loves them. As they observe the peace and joy that sustains us and the kindness that flows from our hearts we are bearing witness.

It is true. We are built for the valley. We are in the very place God wants us to be. It is here that He wants to use us to bless others. It is here that He wants to draw us close and be a part of every minute of our lives. We are each of us uniquely made. The Lord has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. We can rejoice and find great fulfillment in all that we do. We are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28, 29 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

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