Think of all the references you know related to the thrill and success of climbing mountains. (Climb every mountain; ain't no mountain high enough) This natural landform serves as a symbol for success, perseverance, achievement, and a goal-driven life. Mountains are glorious and glorified.While we may frame our future and plan our journey with the mountain in mind, we spend most of our lives walking in the valley. Surrounded by such heights, it's easy to lose perspective. Maybe that's why the valley leaves us feeling lost sometimes, having a sense of being alone in the world. In the valley, the full weight of our burden is upon us. There is no exhilarating height to distract our minds, no elevation to heighten our senses. But there is beauty in the valley, if we are present enough to see it. Lush green life is bursting and shadows are reminders that the sun is overhead.
Where are you today on your journey? Are you standing on the mountain top? Or are you planted squarely in the center of the valley? If so, open yourself to the beauty around you. It's a reminder that you never walk alone.
"I discovered that faith was simply the strength to keep walking, even when taking the next step seems impossible. That path also helped me see that a desire for faith was a sign of faith itself. I didn't have to understand the meaning of the suffering we went through; I could just get through it all and trust that the meaning of suffering would come in hindsight. On the path I was walking, my faith was not going to be tested by suffering. My faith was going to ground me as I walked through suffering in the world. On the path, I could rest assured that even though I trembled in the valley of the shadow of death, I was still walking with God."
~ Becca Stevens from Snake Oil: The Art of Healing and Truth-Telling
Even though I walk in the valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
No comments:
Post a Comment