BETWEEN THE VALLEYS

Even the most ardent and long suffering saint will occasionally reach a point of calm between two valleys. It can be a very refreshing and satisfying experience to take time to reflect upon life and God's marvelous capacity to keep his word and promises.

Yet there is the memory of the storms lingering in the back of the brain. With real spiritual maturity one loses that sense of having "arrived" and understand there will be another valley. That isn't intended as a negative comment, just a reality that the life of faith will always require challenges. And often it means the next valley will be more challenging and difficult than the last one.

This is not cruelty or punishment. It is the intent to simply strengthen one's faith. And the only way to increase the capacity to trust is with a great challenge. I wish it was otherwise, but it isn't true.

Still there are those precious times when the crisis moments pass and one can enjoy walking the land of quiet for a while. Those truly do touch in so many ways.

Providing one doesn't get too comfortable and decide to turn it into a residence. That is easy to accomplish at times. You just simply stop trusting or moving.

It might make for a wonderful rest for a while. But eventually it will lead to the sad decay in spirituality.

Part of my weekly routine included regular visits to the gym. For me it is a habit after so many years and I often see many of the same people there. On occasion some will stop coming for a while for a variety of reasons. When they do come back they often think they can pick up the same routine they had when they were in shape. I see them with that look of being so stunned to find out how much their bodies have lost from the inactivity. Fortunately, with regular effort they do regain what they lost.

I merely mention it in terms of how in a similar way those who decide to rest in what is intended as a temporary rest stop and stop trusting will find the return means they are starting over. Oh that doesn't mean the faith isn't there, but God will often not submit the person to the same level of challenge at first when the faith muscles have atrophied.

But the heart and soul may not be prepared to accept this change at times. Lost in the process is some modicum of intimacy in one's relationship with the Lord.

We might not be aware of this transition to full appreciate it, but often we do know how it just doesn't have the same level of intensity as before. This will pass if one remains faithful long enough. But some misunderstand it as an expression of the Lord somehow turning his back on them, which is no the case.

So savor the quiet times and the joys of becoming a visitor to a plateau of peace. But never think it will replace heaven.