Mountaintop Experience In The Valley

Mountaintop Experience In The Valley

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! Psalm 43:3-4

Nancy was a busy mother of four, and she seemed stuck in her hectic lifestyle.

“Every day, it’s the same thing,” she said. “I get up and rush to fix breakfast for my husband and kids. It’s always a pain to get them out the door in the morning, and then I have to drop kids at three different schools and fight traffic to get them all there on time. About the time I drop the last one off, the baby starts to cry, and she cries the whole way home. Then I start to cry. What I need is a vacation!”

After Nancy and I talked, I realized that she wasn’t depressed; she was just exhausted.

“I know you feel like you’re in the valley right now, and you’d rather be on the mountaintop, but the valley is where things grow.”

We discussed some things she could do, such as taking a nap in the afternoon while the baby slept, eating healthier, and taking a walk outdoors before the kids came home from school.

“I can do those things,” Nancy agreed, “but I don’t know if they’ll help.”

“When you take a few minutes to stop, reflect, and rest, it can change your perspective,” I said, “even if your circumstances don’t change. Taking a few minutes to look back at where you’ve been and refocus on where you want to go can give you a fresh vantage point on your life.”

“You can’t take a vacation right now, but you can get the same change in perspective if you will carve out some personal time from the crazy pace you’re running.”

Today’s verse tells us that God’s light and truth will guide us to the holy mountain where he lives. It’s easy to think of that as a physical place, but the psalmist reminds us that the source isn’t a place; it’s a person. God is the source of all joy. And when we see him, we will want to praise him.

TODAY’S RX

Don’t get stuck in a rut; make time to rest in God, the source of all joy.

Lord, help me to take the time to reflect on my healing process. Allow me to see where I’ve been and where I’m going. Remind me of your faithfulness throughout this journey.