Are You in a Valley?

When you or someone you know are in the midst of a trial or difficulty, have you ever described your situation as, “Walking through a valley” or “God’s brought me to this valley”?  I know I have.  Oftentimes, we use the phrases, “mountaintop experience” and “walking through a valley” to describe moments in our lives that break away from our everyday normal.  But why?  Is it simply because of the contrast in elevation and our tendency to relate height with happiness and depth with difficulty?  For example, “I’m soaring on eagles’ wings” contrasted with, “I feel so low”.

While we oftentimes automatically associate spiritual valleys with negativity, in actuality, a physical valley can be quite a beautiful place.  Physical valleys tend to have rivers that run through them, rich fertile soil, lush flora and fauna, and they are protected from fierce winds by the surrounding mountains.

There are exceptions though.  Death Valley is a desert valley and is the lowest, driest, and hottest valley in North America.  We probably relate our spiritual valleys more to this type of valley as opposed to the other.  But even in such a hostile environment, beauty and life can emerge.

(Photo courtesy of Death Valley National Park 2/10/16)

So maybe when we find ourselves in a spiritual valley, instead of asking God, “Why?” and trying to find our way out as quickly as possible, we should look to God and say, “I don’t understand this, and I’d rather not be here, but since I am, I will trust You. Please use this place to grow me and teach me.”

 

We don’t always know why God does what He does, but God knows.  Maybe our bones have gone dry and they need the valley’s rivers to refresh them.  Maybe our heart has become hard in places and it needs the Lord to cultivate the valley’s rich, fertile soil into it.  Maybe our hope has diminished and we need the valley’s lush flora and fauna to awaken it. Maybe if we continue on the path we are on, we will find ourselves falling further away from God, therefore, we need the valley to protect us from even worse storms ahead.

Beauty and purpose can always be found in our valleys as long as we remember that God is in control and He is with us.  He will never allow us to enter such a place without Him, and He will certainly never leave us alone to find our own way out.

Remember, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go.

Genesis 28:15

Dina Pugh

 

Fight For Sunshine

While on a usual coffee run one morning, I was struck by a most beautiful sight. We were in the drive-thru of our local Starbucks, which is surrounded by cinder block walls and chain link fences. Waiting for our turn to order, I noticed the vines that were growing along the block walls. The large leaves were bright green, vibrant, and strong, completely covering the walls. But, what struck me as most beautiful was the way the plants were aligned. They weren't just "vining" their way along the walls haphazardly, they were in perfect lines and sticking straight out, off the wall, with each leaf facing the sky.

Now, I know that this is normal for plants to reach toward the sun, but what struck me was the way it looked like 100's of arms and hands raised in worship to God. What a glorious sight to behold. Then, I was struck again with the way the leaves were almost "fighting" to get more sun than the ones around them. They had one goal in mind, and they let nothing stop them from achieving that goal. It was their lifeline, of the utmost importance. Now, if a plant can do this, how much more should God's children?

A plant soaks up the sun in order to fulfill its purpose of creating food for itself. It needs that energy to perform this complex process. Due to plants being so diligent in their work, we are blessed with oxygen to breathe. So it is in our times with the Lord. Whether it is prayer, worship, or reading the Word, this is where we get our energy to fulfill our most important purpose in life. Without it, it can't be done, no matter how hard we try. It should be our singular goal each morning we awake, letting nothing stop us.

So, are you getting the energy you need every day?

Are you "fighting" for your piece of the sunshine?

Vibrantly alive...Abundant strength...Fulfilled purpose...Blessing all those around me...Now THAT'S living!

"It is God Who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Psalm 18:32

Linda King

Trust the Lord, No Matter the Outcome

For my mom

This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me.  I have experienced incredible joy with the birth of our first grandson, only to be followed a few days later with the crushing news that my mom’s return of breast cancer may have spread.  I am juggling joy with sorrow, lightness along with heaviness of heart.

I think the hardest part for me, and maybe for most of you as well, is not fully understanding the reasons behind what the Lord allows and doesn’t allow.  We know God is sovereign and can do all things, so when He answers our prayers differently than that of what we have asked, it can feel hurtful.

But God is good [righteous, kind, honorable, worthy, pure, excellent] so our hurt feelings are simply a by-product of our lack of understanding.

This is where trust comes in.  And this is why the Lord reminds us in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”(Emphasis added)  We trip ourselves up when we rely on our own limited understanding.

I love the conviction of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego found in Daniel chapter 3 when they were faced with the fiery furnace if they refused to bow down to king Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image.  They said to the king, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” vs. 16-18

That is the conviction of heart I want in my life when faced with my own fiery trials.  Trust the Lord, no matter the outcome.

Dina Pugh

God Loves You

God loves you.  How much of an impact do those three words have on you personally?  You’ve no doubt heard that statement numerous times in your life but do the words, God loves you, reach deep into your soul or do they merely pass by barely grazing your heart? 

Bear in mind, this is no simple declaration.  If you begin to dig into this declaration of love, you will find the beautiful depth of pure love behind it.  However, in order to see this beauty you must first be willing to accept it as true.

God loves you.  The One who made the birds and put a song in their heart loves you. The One who stretched out the sky and sprinkled it with stars loves you.  The One who filled the oceans and caused the rhythm of crashing waves loves you.  He made fireflies to light up at night, sunrises to welcome a new day, mountains majestic to behold, and vast deserts of untouched beauty. He has made and filled the earth and sky with awesome wonders and it’s all for you.  God designed it out of love - for you.

God gave you the gift of creation because He loves you.  But He certainly didn’t stop there.  God’s selfless love compelled Him to save the very one He loves at all cost. Evil entered God’s creation and, to this very day, evil has attempted to destroy all that God loves, namely us.

We have been held hostage by evil and the only way out, the price for our ransom and freedom, was God’s life for ours.  He never hesitated.  With love in His eyes, He looked at us; He looked at evil and He. Never. Hesitated.

He laid down His life in exchange for ours.  He was pierced through, crushed, slaughtered, and He poured out His soul (Isaiah 53:5,7,12).  Because God loves, we walk away free.

This is only a small unveiling of the depth behind the words, God loves you.  Spend time yourself meditating on these three words, asking God to reveal more of what He means by them.  Carry them throughout your day letting them fill your heart and mind.

I will say it again, God loves you.

Dina Pugh

Our One True Love

 I love a good love story.  One of my favorite movies is Pride and Prejudice. It is one of those movies that I can watch over and over.  I recently discovered another movie that I love.  It’s called, Far From the Madding Crowd.  I am not a bit embarrassed to say that I’ve already watched it several times and plan on watching it again.  

I was wondering to myself what exactly is it about this particular movie that draws me to watch it?  I think because, to me at least, it speaks of our intrinsic bend toward

self-reliance and God’s ever-patient love for us.

 

In a nutshell, the storyline in Far From the Madding Crowd tells of a young woman with no family who is very independent.  A young man falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.  She declines his offer of love and chooses instead to remain independent.  Circumstances keep them together under a working relationship and over the course of a few years, we watch as the young woman needs the young man but still refuses to relinquish her independence.  

Despite her foolish ways, the young man watches over her and patiently waits for her.  It is not until the end of the movie when the young man finally decides to give her what her stubborn heart clings to and leaves her that the young woman realizes what her life would be like without him.

 

Do we not do the same with God?  In one breath we say, “No Lord, I can do this myself.”  And in the next breath, “Lord, help me! I need You!”  Then there are those who never accept the love that God offers.  Believing self-independence is far better than being completely dependent on the One who made them.  

The Lord is patient and long suffering with all of us, believers and non-believers alike, but He will not wait forever.  There will come a day when, like the young man in the movie, God will allow the non-believer the desire to cling to self instead of Him.

If you are a person who is living independent of God, stop where you are, turn back, and give your heart to your One True Love.

The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them.

2 Peter 3:9

Dina Pugh

Jesus Is The Ultimate Gift

Christmastime has come to a close and we have ushered in a new year. But instead of looking ahead just yet, I want to look back for a moment on what took place a mere handful of days ago.  Christmas.  The time of year most of the world, whether they are a believer or not, celebrates the birth of Jesus whether they realize that or not.

Christmas is a time spent with family and friends, giving gifts to those we love.  You may or may not have received a gift from a loved one this past Christmas but I guarantee every single person on this planet whether past, present or future has already been given the Ultimate Gift; Jesus.  God gave Him over 2,000 years ago.

You won’t find Him on sale in any store, and you won’t find Him wrapped up in a pretty bow lying under your Christmas tree.  Instead, you’ll find that He was wrapped in humanity, and nailed to a cross on Calvary’s hill.  

He has been placed at the door of your heart, waiting to be opened and received.  Sadly, not everyone opens his or her heart to receive this Ultimate Gift.  Rather, they let the Gift go untouched and they choose instead to open their hearts to empty boxes.  But empty boxes are exactly that.  Empty.  Devoid of life.

So I encourage you today; if you have never opened the Ultimate Gift that has been given to you, open it!  Choose Life.  Choose Jesus.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and whom it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”  -John 4:10

Dina Pugh