In the Valley

Just a few weeks ago I was sitting at work marveling at the "normalness" of my life. Usually my days are marked with some sort of battle outside the norms of homework, bills, household chores, and the like. But at that moment I realized I had nothing but the norm going on. That's when I knew something would be coming. They say a Christian's walk is like traveling through mountains: sometimes you're on top of the world and sometimes you're in the valleys. I wouldn't say that moment was a mountain top but definitely hiking.

These past two weeks I must have come across my valley. So many things are going on, filling my plate with added stress...most of which I can do nothing about. A friend's mom is in very poor health, one relationship is working through the rocks while another two are soaring through the air (the dicotomy of which is a little hard to handle), a very close friendship is suffering a bit, and a best friend broke his femur just this morning. SO much going on that I am forced to handle with little ability, if any, to help. I suppose this is God's way of teaching me about my hero complex :).

Is it an indication of spiritual maturity to acknowledge the magnitude of these events and to further acknowledge that they are out of my hands? I hope so. I was watching Joyce Meyer on some podcasts at work and she was talking about truly understanding that God's in control and has everything covered, while all the while pushing on relentlessly in faith. If God never gives me more than I can handle, which the only handling I can possibly do here is to be a good friend and face the stressors coming from all sides, then I must relentlessly push on in the faith everything will work out as God sees fit. I don't have to know why these things are happening the way they are, I just have to trust it will all turn out ok.

That's what my spirit says. My heart and head are much more conflicted. I think it's important for everyone to know that just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you have super human abilities to "let go and let God." Actually, I'd love nothing more than to just get away from it all for a few days. Since I can't do that, my only weapon is prayer. The Bible says in James 5:16 that "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." I believe that with my whole heart. Please pray with me!

Becky