Life In The Valley

The mountain top is a place that everyone, in my opinion ought to experience at least once in their lifetime.  When I was about fifteen years old, I had the opportunity of climbing Mt.  Kilimambogo. I remember climbing for what seemed to be hours on end, and not getting to the top. My muscles ached, I was so hot, and out of breath *read unfit* haha. Anyway, the climb was made much easier by the fact that I had good company. My friends shared in the strain and the excitement, making the journey a little more bearable. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we made it to the peak. I can’t quite explain what it felt like. It was surreal! I quickly forgot how hard and long it had been trying to get there. The air was so fresh, crisp and cool. The view was breath-taking, and we just stood there taking in the vast expanse of beautiful land surrounding us. It almost felt like my spirit was soaring and at that moment I felt that I could accomplish just about anything! We had an amazing day, that has remained clearly etched in my memory. The journey back was…well, alright...in all honesty it was nothing to write home about. Needless to say, I had swollen feet the whole week after our hike! I was unable wear cute girly shoes- I could only wear sandals until my feet got back to ‘normal’.  It is no wonder that it happened to be my first and last mountain climbing experience!

I’ve always heard it said that the mountain top can be compared to the Sunday mornings of life; the seasons that are easy and leave you feeling exhilarated.  These are the times when everything seems to fall in place like clockwork. You’re usually driven, and certain of your potential and your purpose, or at least you have a pretty good idea of it.  It may seem as though you’re gliding through life, with ease and grace. There’s an amazing clarity that comes to us when were on top of the mountain; we’re able to assess things and calculate our next move.

But we quickly forget the struggle and strength it took to climb that mountain. We forget how many times we wanted to give up, but more importantly we forget the many other mountains we ought to climb that will take just as much, if not more effort.  Inasmuch as we want to dwell at the peak, the truth is that inevitably we must descend in order to ascend; and we overlook one very important and yet inevitable place…the valley.

A valley is a depression on the earth, bounded by mountains. It is more often than not said to be a lonely place; a place of despair, and confusion. It is in the valley that the testing of our faith is felt. It’s dark in the valley, because the mountains surrounding it and the cloud cover cast a shadow on it. The psalmist David referred to his one of his darkest times as the ‘valley of the shadow of death’…a place of great vulnerability. The prophet Ezekiel was led by the spirit of God to a valley of dry bones. It is barren and desolate in the valley.  It is that season in your life when little seems to make sense. You hear sermons preached but they don’t stir up your spirit. You turn to your friends hoping to get a word of encouragement and find that they have their own battles to fight. Unlike the mountain top, the valley is not a place in which we like to dwell.  It is uncomfortable.

But I recently came to learn something I had never considered about the valley.

It’s not all dark and dreary -There is life in the valley! Things grow in the valley, because there’s enough shade, and warmth, and water.  The environment is conducive for some of the most precious things to grow. Grapes grow in the valley; flowers grow in the valley…tiger lilies for instance. Our heavenly father is sometimes referred to as the lily of the valley; beautiful and radiant.

In the valley our faith is tested, and it is in the testing of our faith that we grow. Everything our mind has known must now be exercised by our spirit. The valley is not as we have always thought it to be; it is a place of fruitfulness. The testing of our faith bears fruit if we trust that God is as present in the valley as He is on the mountain. We must trust that He watches over us even in those seemingly dark days and walks us through them.

Yes, the mountain tops are glorious and yes, we could use a lot more of those, but beloved it is in the valley that you grow. It’s in that pit that you learn to call on God and to trust Him with all your heart. It’s in the valley that you not only find strength for yourself but also for others who will sooner rather than later walk the same path; it yields compassion. The valley brings brokenness that God in turn gives for wholeness, mending and healing. God created the mountain top, and he also created the valley, each with its own unique and significant purpose. He is ever present in both, more so in the valley whose value we cannot comprehend.

It is in the valleys of my life that I have come to the full awareness  of my fears, doubts, and many other issues that God wanted to deal with, but couldn’t because I was caught up in the euphoria of the mountain top. He didn’t allow me to be vulnerable in order to hurt me; He did it in order to mend me and make me stronger. I thank Him for the victories, but I also thank Him for the failures, the struggles…the valley that has constantly drawn me back to Him.

The next time your find yourself in the valley, cry if you must, but remember that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and endurance will carry you through any season of your life. In the valley you will feel all alone, and even wonder whether God hears you when you pray. You will be tempted to give up because of the rain that pours so insistently. But remember that even in rainy, stormy weather there is light, and whatever God has planted requires it; both the rain and the light. The valley is an opportunity for you to be strengthened. It’s a place of preparation for your next mountain, your next achievement.  So walk courageously through it, allow God to bring what He started to a flourishing finish. May you find a renewal of your strength, your vigor, and your faith.

Remember beloved, that there is life in the valley!

Kambua M.

Write It on My Heart

Over time I’ve believed many things, and lost trust in just as many. But the one thing I have grown certain about is the love that God has for me. I look around and I see traces of Him, in all I do, in all I have accomplished, and in all I hope to be. But even though I’m fully aware of His presence, I’ve also had serious moments of doubt. My heart knows and believes that yes, God loves me and His plan for me is over and above my wildest dreams. My mind on the other hand, has battled with this truth time and time again. I have great admiration for people who have had a consistent walk with God- heroes of faith as I see them.  Some of them have walked with me and spoken truths that I was sometimes not ready nor willing to hear. I’ve often wished I could say that behind the make-up and glam is a woman who is totally secure in who she believes in. But the honest truth is, behind the veil is a girl who has had moments of fear, doubt, timidity, and yes, great insecurity.

I have faced life with zeal, rolled with the punches, but other times simply thrown in the towel; plain out given up.  I’ve questioned the value of life, and why people hold on even when it has been anything but kind to them.  My heart has gone out to families whose loved ones gave up on life, because a part of me understands only too well how it feels to be at the end of the line. You see the truth is unless God accords you the opportunity to see things from his perspective, you may find yourself so overwhelmed and cornered by life; it will seem as though there are no options, and a temporary situation will give the illusion of permanency.

There have been times when I have been so discouraged that I didn’t even want to get out of bed. And those are the times I’ve remember something or seen something that made me laugh so hard that tears rolled down my face, and all that remained was the sweetest tummy ache. God has a sense of humour.  Whenever I have found myself broke, busted, and disgusted He has reminded me that nothing is impossible with Him. God never allows me to stay down. He sings songs of deliverance and peace over me through the chaos of life. He remains faithful even through my faithlessness. I am so glad that He is nothing like me.  

There have also been times when I’ve had to stand on a stage or a pulpit to minister, and I’ve wondered whether I’d make it through the song without breaking down; I wondered whether anyone could see the struggle, or hear the pain in my voice. And in those times I learnt that in my weakness God’s strength knows no bounds. He covers me with His grace- the grace that He so liberally gives, and uses my pain to bring healing to another.

I revere God with all my heart, and yet I’ve grown in the understanding that He is a father who will never turn His back on me. When I’ve made a mess of my own life He still allows me to crawl on His lap and weep, and then ever so gently wipes my tears away reminding me that He is a God of second, third, countless chances.  My heavenly father not only hears the prayers that I whisper in the night, but also the unspoken ones…the ones I cannot form into words. The ones that are too intimate to share with anyone. He hears my heart and speaks right back to it.

Thank you God for never allowing me to give up. Thank you for giving me this moment, right here and now to pour my heart on paper…to tell someone who is about to let go that they can still try again. Remind them as you have reminded me over and over, that failure is just another opportunity to start again. May your peace steady their hearts in the midst of all that seems to be falling apart. May they find in you solid ground when all else is sinking. Remind them God that it’s not over for them until you say it is. May your promises and your truths be deeply etched on their hearts. Remind them that you shall never leave nor forsake them…that you are a friend who sticks closer than a brother…that you work all things together for their good…that you keep them in perfect peace whose hearts stay in you…that your grace is sufficient for them…that you will supply all of their needs…that you will never give them more than they can bear…that in you the old is gone and everything is made new…! Write it on their hearts God. So that in those times when their minds forget, their heart will still remember that it is written.

Kambua M.