“It is in the sphere of humiliation that we find our true worth to God, that is where our faithfulness is revealed.” ~ Oswald Chambers
My daily devotional yesterday was on “valley living.” The valley is where we spend most of our time isn’t it? Those mountaintop moments are euphoric, but they go as quickly as they came, leaving you down in the dumps.
I traveled quite a bit in the past. I craved that mountaintop feeling of adventure and exploration in a new place. When I returned from Hawaii I dreamed about it (and talked about it) for at least six months. I was so excited when we returned that I began researching moving there. That was 12 years ago and I still live in Indiana.
Vacation is a unique mountaintop moment. There are plenty of others. I am sure you can think of a handful off the top of your head. My example is a bit superficial, but when we travel back down to reality, sometimes we don’t handle it well regardless of what we are going through.
I look back at 2011 as one of my lowest of valley years. I HATED myself. I LOATHED the person I had become. What I realize now that I didn’t know back then was that I was in healing mode. I was unbecoming a lot of things that I had become because of circumstances I found myself in that were not totally my fault. I didn’t trust God back then and I got through it my own way.
Today I am in a different place. I have learned to lean on God for pretty much everything and as a result, my anxiety has subsided. I have totally gone off my anxiety medicine that I depended on for YEARS. Today I only take it as needed. That is not to say that I won’t need it daily again in the future. Right now though, not taking it is working out okay.
Figuring out that life is a series of hills and valleys and being OKAY with that has changed my life. I cannot control everything. God is in control. Believing that is the definition of faith to me. Whatever happens, I am going to be okay and I am on the path He wants for me instead of blazing my own trail and constantly being lost.
I know what it feels like to have nothing. And now I know what it feels like to have everything I need. That’s so like God to teach us the lessons we need in order to realize all we can really do is to depend on Him.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.”
Amen. All you need to do is believe.
Blessing,
Stacey ~ iamalive