Thursday, June 7, 2007

The valley of sunshine


I have spent the past few days feeling like I have had a good breath of incredibly crisp, fresh, winter air. The kind that wakes you up, takes your breath away and gives you a new energy. I am thankful that God never fails me, that at my every turn if I look, I will see Him. I am thankful for the grace He continually extends me. It's sort of reassuring to be reminded that we spend most of our time in the valley.. not on the mountain top. YES!! reassuring.

The valley has incredible meadows of lush green grass and lazy fields filled with dandilions and sunflowers. It is well worth being in the valley just to experience this beauty. To run barefoot through the soft grass with total abandonment. To lay by the streams that run through the valleys. To play hide and seek in the glorious bushes beside the streams. The hazards of being in the valley, like dragons, python snakes, crawling crayfish hiding out in the swampy bottoms of hills is a minor inconvenience compared to the sunflowers and sun drenched lush grassy gardens. O.K. I guess there are not real dragons in the valley - but honestly sometimes it feels as though there are - you know the kind of dragons that thrash their tails back and forth swishing everyone and everything out of their way.

Tonight I read through Psalms a bit and I want to share "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." As the deer needs water, so we need Him. He is the living water of our soul, our Father God.

Thank you God that you made the valleys more beautiful than the cold, snowy mountain tops!!

Night....

2 comments:

Shannon said...

It is very true. God does have much to teach us in our valleys. Not all of them are "the valley of the shadow of death", but even in those God goes with us. We have much to be grateful for in this respect for the hope He gives us. God is so amazing!

Cheri said...

Shannon - thanks for sharing... you are right, not all valleys are the shadow of death. We live most of our lives in the valleys - and that's o.k. by me!!