The Valley

I used to love deer hunting with my father when I was young. I even liked getting up in the early hours of morning and chipping the ice off of the water bucket. Everything was fresh and new and wonderful to me.

There was one valley that we would walk through occasionally where the sage brush was higher than my head. As you were walking through, it was a fragrant world all of its own. But one time as I was walking I realized that I could not see the way out. It was an awful feeling to turn around and realize that for 360 degrees around me everything looked exactly the same. I finally decided to just keep moving ahead hoping to break through the end of the tall sage brush. I kept moving ahead and finally came to the end of the brush. I found a high spot and finally was able to orientate myself and meet up with my father.

I find a lot of similarities to my life now and that valley of tall sage. There are days like today when I cannot see out of this valley of loneliness and despair. Every way I look, seems the same and there is no clear path to follow. It would be so easy to give up and let this flood of emotions overwhelm me.

I guess this is when I find out what faith is all about. Faith is what will keep me moving when everything in me wants to quit. Faith is what will keep me pointed towards the goal when I do not feel joy in the journey. Faith is all that is required of me. It is what Jesus called calls me to.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17

When it comes right down to it, I really do not need to see my way out, I just need to have faith that He will not leave me alone in this valley. I need to continue this journey one step at a time.

Just Connie