Walking Through the Valley

"The pathway is broken And The signs are unclear And I don't know the reason why You brought me here But just because You love me the way that You do I'm gonna walk through the valley If You want me to."

lyrics to "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens

I am often moved by songs. I think it comes from my Mother. She always finds great hope and peace in a hymn or worship song. It is not uncommon to see her shed tears after connecting with powerful lyrics. This song has always touched me. It always seems to bring tears to my eyes because its words are like a prayer that my own mind could not form and when I hear it, I feel like God hears my prayer.
I was thinking the other day about walking through the valleys and walking on the mountains. I was thinking about the features of a deep valley and those of a majestic mountain.
A mountain is rough, hard and cold. It has jagged edges that seem to come from nowhere and rip into you. If you climb a mountain you are dangling and depending on rope and spikes to help you reach the top. But once you reach the top their is no view that could compare. You are close to the sun and the clouds are so close you think you could reach up and grab a hold to one.
A valley is fertile. It has springs and vegetation. Birds fly high and the grass grows thick. The colors are abound and it is a place of rest. In the valley, there is life; there is beauty.
So you see, God has planted my feet in the valley, where life flourishes and there is not far to fall. I think about a verse, Psalm 119:17, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." Now, please, do not get me wrong, I am not thankful for this affliction but I am thankful that God can use my illness to teach me. If I had my way, I would be taking much easier path to learn from but I must have faith that God has plans for me , plans that may forever be unseen. I am thankful that He has chosen to plant me in the fertile valley. And sometimes -a lot of times-when I am barely crawling through the valley and begging to reach the top of the mountain's peak, I remember that God is on the mountain and in the valley and for now, I must have faith that I will bare the fruit of God's fertile valley.

{image from here.}