DAILY
DEVOTIONAL
Life
in the Valley
By
Dena J. Dyer
Guest Columnist
CBN.com
-- "Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish,
I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew
17:4). A couple of weeks ago, my husband, son and I traveled to Sedona,
Arizona for our biannual family reunion. It was a wonderful, refreshing time.
We stayed in the mountains, slept in a log cabin by a creek and relished the reunion's
non-schedule. Lazily, we caught up on our extended family's lives, played horseshoes,
shopped in Sedona and enjoyed the beautiful red rock formations. It was
so relaxing that I tried to figure out a way to stay. "Maybe God is calling us
to do resort ministry here," I told my spouse, who laughed. "This is a New Age
center. We could open a Christian music theater. Just picture it: Sedona Live!"
It encourages me to know that the disciple Peter had a mountaintop experience
with Jesus, and he wanted to stay, too. But though God gives us mountain experiences
to renew and restore us, He calls us to live in the valley. And while "valley
dwelling" is often not as fun as mountain climbing, Jesus is always with us-no
matter what our emotions may say. In Lion and Lamb, Brennan Manning
writes: "When things are plain and ordinary, when we live on the plateaus and
in the valleys (which is where most of the Christian life takes place) and not
on the mountaintops of peak religious experiences, this is no reason to blame
ourselves, to think that our relationship with God is collapsing . . . Frustration,
irritation, fatigue, and so forth may temporarily unsettle us, but they cannot
rob us of . . . the peace of Christ Jesus." So when the dishes pile up,
the bills keep coming and my toddler is pushing my buttons (again!) I need to
remember that the peace of Christ is as close as my next breath. When I pray for
His comfort, He always answers. And these "low" days sure make me appreciate the
times when I seem to float above the world. As author William Coleman says:
"The truth is that without valleys there are no mountains. Life is not an endless
plain with no ups or downs. There is joy and there is pain." And, above
all, there is Jesus. Copyright 2002, by Dena J. Dyer. Used by permission.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|
