Take a snapshot
When you find yourself walking through the valley, don’t forget what it was like on the mountain top.
When it was all going good – the family was happy, everyone was healthy and everyone was getting along – when the finances were at its best – when your car was running just fine – when all the bills got paid without any struggle – when your health was not giving you any problems – when it wasn’t a sacrifice to pay your tithes – when you and your spouse were back into the honeymoon stage all over again – when everything was just going great and you had everything to smile about – when your faith and hope were at their all time high….then all of a sudden you find yourself walking in darkness wondering what in the world happened to all that faith you had and where on earth did your hope run off to?
It’s easy to have faith in God when everything is going hunky-dory. I think we can all agree with that! It’s not hard at all to say everything is going to be okay when you feel like everything is going to be okay. When you begin to leave the season of inspiration and walk into difficult circumstances, your feelings begin to change. You begin to feel scared, feel worried, and feel the darkness surrounding you; and everything you have learned and knew before seems to fade into the distance like it never existed and all you know is that you feel like your situation is completely hopeless.
The difference between the two seasons is when you are in the valley its darkness effects how you feel.
You only see darkness so you feel like your situation is hopeless and you get scared. Just because you feel scared doesn’t mean that there is actually anything to be scared of. I know there have been so many times I heard a noise at night time and I began to feel scared. So I get up and walk around the house scoping out the area only to find nothing. I get back in bed shocked that I didn’t find anything…there was nothing to be afraid of because there was nothing there. We have nothing to be afraid of when we are traveling down in the valley because God is with us and has a specific purpose and plan for everything you face while you are in the valley.
Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
In my words: “When my circumstances are at the most difficult and it seems like I can barely make it through, I will not be afraid of bad things happening to me because God is with me, because of His authority and power over everything brings me comfort and peace.”
When you are on the mountain top you have got to whip out your camera and take a snap shot of that moment, in that season of life.
That way the next time the seasons change and you find yourself walking in the dark valley you can have that photo with you to remind you that everything is going to be okay, you’re going to make it because God will get you through, God hasn’t left you it’s just a season that will pass, God has a purpose for all of this that you’re going through. When you begin to focus on the truth you will begin to feel a change in you. Your faith will begin to rise and the hope you once had will find its way back to you.
The valley is only for a short while. It’s only temporary and won’t last forever. It’s only a season that will come and go just like our seasons here on earth. Like the warm, bright and beautiful spring time that arrives with blooming flowers and beautiful sunshine days filled with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. As much as I love the spring time and never want it to end, it won’t last forever and soon will roll into the colder dreaded winter weather. Every winter I look forward to the spring time again. When I step outside and the freezing wind gushes into my face and sends a million chill bumps all over my body, the first thing that enters my mind is when is spring time going to get here!
Everybody loves the season of life that brings us on the mountain top when everything seems to be going great and the only thing that is raining down upon us is blessings from every direction. I look forward to that season every time I am walking down in the valley. But it’s the times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death that make the biggest difference in our lives. During those hard, trying times we grow closer to God, our relationship with Him extends to a higher level, we gain knowledge through our valley experience, and we learn to trust Him.
So the next time you find yourself down in the valley, just take out your photo of the mountain top! Let it be your reminder that you have nothing to be afraid of and God is with you and has a specific purpose and plan for everything you face while you are in the valley.
Blessings,
Krista
Visit my personal devotional blog at http://fromthepagesoflove.blogspot.com/
I was actually just doing that for the two years prior. Trying to see what changed in the pictures. This is truly good advice. May your valleys be gentle on you.
What a wonderful post! You’re right about remembering the mountain top experiences.
Even when I’m whining in the valley times, logically I know that the richest soil is located there.
Bless you!
Beth
What a great way to get through the valleys…with pictures and memories of the mountain tops. We need to always carry those feelings in our hearts.
Andie
Amen to that, Krista. I so agree that the tough times do shape us and will turn us into people that God wants us to be.
Thank you for the reminder to look back when we are going through a tough time to see God’s faithfulness.