Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Welcome to the valley. It is part of the healing process. The healing process is complicated and long. There is no pattern or roadmap. You take the lessons and grief as they come having faith that there is a bigger reason for all of it. You cling to the belief that God knows what He is doing, and His timing is perfect. He is moving you in a direction that is good, and He knows how much to release to gently move you along.
You may be surprised by this valley. You think that you have been doing well and realize that you have regressed. You are in the middle of what feels like a storm. You feel alone and perhaps left behind and forgotten. You feel like you are relearning things but in fact you are just cementing them into your being. You are becoming what you learned. Do not be surprised by this cycle. You mimic the seasons. You cycle through moments of change. You shed habits and pain. What was not confronted in the last cycle falls in front of you to deal with in this season. For a moment what confronts you looks doable and will be easy to deal with. This could be in part due to denial or just lack of awareness of how deep thoughts and habits are within you. That moment may change to panic as you find yourself bewildered by the state you are in.
You confront and sit in moments of coldness and loneliness. You hibernate, in a sense, waiting for inspiration, looking for hope, seeking understanding of all that is confronting you. You are in the valley; possibly unaware you are in it and for how long you have been there. Recognizing you are in the valley is the key to rebirth. Acknowledgment it is what causes you to rejuvenate and to be what you were brought into the valley to become.
There are things that must be taken care of in these valleys. It is hard work. You are there for a reason. You show up and may be in denial for some time for a purpose. It is to protect you. It allows for a gradual release. Remember life goes on around you. You still may have a job to do, may still need to go to school, raise children, be a spouse, a friend etc. This is a fragile time. Your Father knows how to gently guide you through this, so you do not break. The purpose is not to break you. It is to wake you up!
It is so easy to be hard on yourself and focus on what is not instead of what is. The Enemy’s goal is to pull your focus that way. The longer he can keep you distracted with lack and disappointment the longer you stay in the valley and feel stuck. The Enemy wants you to believe beating up yourself emotionally will move you out of the valley and that doing more and doing it better is the key. That is not true.
God is constantly calling you out of the valley. He is asking you to recognize how far you have come. Acknowledge your strength. Most of all understand when it is time to rest and listen to Him. It is His voice that will guide you out. Nothing else. In His timing, and with your hard work, you will have your aha! You will wake up, be changed, and enter a season of hope, warmth, and brightness.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for your presence in the valley. I do not always recognize you are there or the season of growth I am in. Forgive me for not trusting You. Forgive me for questioning You. There is purpose in all You do. You guide me through the valley and the storms. You are always present and always loving. Thank You for the gradual release of growth. Thank you for moving me through the valley to warmth and brightness. The season may be hard, but it has its purpose.
Amen
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