Valley Seasons

I started a blog because I wanted a public place to share my opinion, but for much of this year, I’ve kept many of my thoughts and opinions to myself.
In life there are mountains and there are valleys. I’ve learned, yet again, recently, that valleys can be amazing for pruning and for personal, spiritual growth. But valleys, at least for me, are also a time of ever changing emotions, thoughts, pruning and growth that I do NOT want in a public place just in case they change.
But one thing I’ve learned from a part of this year, one of the many things I hope I remember as life goes on, is that it is O.K. to be in a valley.
I think it is even important to have valleys. We often pray they never come, or, rather, I think more often, we pray that situations that seem to be going south will go north.
There are specific valleys in my life that made me, for the better, who I am today.
This year had many major life shifts in store for me. Some caused me to rethink who I am from my perspective, who I am from others’ perspectives and who I am in Christ.
These shifts caused some things and people and situations to be rooted out and some to come in and grow in me and around me. They’ve taught me that He is gracious in mistakes. But I was taught to an extent so many of these things only because first I was in a place that was low, not high.
I don’t know God’s plan, but I do know that because of circumstances around me there were necessary changes that took place in me.
Valleys are not easy to embrace, and, despite the fierce idea of standing strong against the wind or hard times or pressure, I don’t think that we are always supposed to stand strong against valleys.
I do think that sometimes it is healthy for us to break in hard seasons of life.
When we break, when we doubt who we are, who others are and what our situations are, when we have nothing left of ourselves, then maybe we realize we have nothing else to fall on but a stable God.
He is a stable God who is always there. He is there to grow us and prune us, to refocus us and give us purpose. Our situations can be used to produce endurance, character and hope (Rom. 5:3-4). He is there not only to give us strength, but to be our strength (2 Cor. 12:9).