Give Me This Mountain That I May Rest In the Beautiful Valley Below

Mountains and valleys have always had some sort of significant meaning in my life. I suppose it is because life itself is made up of lofty mountain top experiences as well as down in the valley experiences.

I believe that God, our Heavenly Father, gives us certain mountain top experiences in our lives in response to our faithfulness and obedience, and to keep us ever reaching toward the prize of the high calling. Though we may reach the pinnacle of the mountain, He gently reminds us that we need not become boastful nor proud of our accomplishment, but humbly thank Him in awe and reverence for allowing us to have this experience, and realize that we need to go higher still. Reaching the top of the mountain then is only a beginning, not the end.

Similarly, I believe that God, our Heavenly Father, gives us down in the valley experiences, not to punish us per se, but to teach us humility. It is often when a man is at his lowest point that he tends to look up the most. Knowing this, our Heavenly Father often places us in situations that help us to return our focus upon the One from whence truly comes our help - He who is a very present help in time of trouble. As we look up from the depths of the valley we gain a magnificent glimpse of the splendor of the mountains above, and perhaps just a small glimpse of what being on top of those mountains is like. Being in the bowels of the valley then is not an end to all things, but a beginning of new things that are yet to come.

The Lord never promised any of us that we would journey through this life riding upon a bed of roses in ease and comfort. However, He did promise us that if we will endure until the end of the journey, it will be worth it all.

And so, we find that the terrain upon which we travel as we continue our pilgrimage becomes vast and varied. At times we will be blessed to travel down smoothly paved roads with seemingly no obstacles to impair our way. At other times the road may be dusty and rocky and in order to procede on our journey we have to stop and clear the path before us in order to make it more accessible. Still, at other times, we will face hurdles which we have to get around or go over, or even yet, our greatest challenge will be the mighty mountains that we must climb. Some of the mountains may be better described as hills, but others may seem insurmountable.

Regardless of the size of the mountain, it is our measure of faith that will allow us to overcome this obstacle as well. For we are told that if we have faith, even as the grain of a mustard seed, we will be able to say unto the mountain before us, "Be thou removed and cast into the sea" and it shall be moved.

Let us not approach mountains with fear and trepidation in our hearts, but rather, let us approach mountains with a song and a prayer in our hearts perhaps similar to this one:

Father, as I continue on my journey, I find myself with yet another mountain that I must climb. Try as I might to go around this mountain to get to the other side, I find that I am faced with no alternative but to climb this mountain in order to reach my desired destination. So, help me to climb this mountain with the faith and understanding that I do not climb it alone. You are always near to guide each footstep that I take along the rocky pathway, ready to catch me if I falter and begin to fall. You are there pushing me onward and helping me to keep my eyes focused on the goal when at times I feel like giving up.

The Lord understands that there must be a period of rest from our journeying. It is at that time that He guides us safely down the other side of the mountain and down into the beautiful valley below. It is there in the valley that He leads us beside the still waters and causes us to lay down in green pastures as He restores our souls, thus giving us the necessary strength to press forward and endure to the end of our journey.

Life is full of tests and trials with many obstacles which we will face along the way to include majestic mountains which may seem insurmountable. But, let us take heart that at no time on our journey are we ever alone. He is always right there beside us. So, with a song of gladness in our heart we are indeed able to say, "Give me this mountain that I may rest in the beautiful valley below."

I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism. Unquestionably, some of us have grown up in unfavorable conditions and in an unkind society that constantly reminds us, and in some cases has thoroughly convinced us, that our father never amounted to much, and our mother has never amounted to much, and so, as the proverbial apple never seems to fall far from the tree, we ourselves can expect to never amount to much either. The tragedy of it all is that society is not alone in painting this picture of hopelessness and despair, but that same picture hangs on the walls in our homes, as well as, in the classrooms of our schools.

I wish to send a very clear, precise, and concise message to our youth of today: the time has come for you to stop wallowing in the mud of hopelessness and slowly drowning yourselves in the sea called despair. Now is the time to break free from that proverbial box that you have found yourselves in, and from the strangling chords of the voices of naysayers who preach negativism and defeatism. Rise above your current station in life. You can if you believe that you can!

Maybe it is true that your father and mother have never done anything to make an honorable name for themselves, or have ever tried to get out of their current situations and better themselves. Maybe it is true that you were born in unfavorable and adverse conditions. Maybe it is true that all of your young life people have done nothing but knock you down and kick you while you were down. However, it does not have to stay that way. Though the night may seem dark and dreary, nighttime only last for a season and then the morning comes. And with the dawning of the morning comes a light of hope that shines bright as the noon day sun.

Now is the time for you to start realizing that you are not your father and you are not your mother. God Almighty has made each of us uniquely YOU. He has meted to you and me a measure of faith, hope, courage, talents, and abilities. It is time for you to put behind you those things that once were, and press forward to obtain those things that can, and (with faith, hope, patience, determination, and endurance) will be. Stop listening to the perpetual lies of those who do not have your best interest at heart, and start believing in yourself. You can do whatever it is you have a mind to do, and you can become whatever it is that you have a desire to become in life, but YOU have to believe that you can do it. If you cannot believe in yourselves, how can you honestly expect anyone else to?

Do not become discouraged if at first you do not succeed at doing something, but try and try again knowing that the road to success is often filled with potholes called failure. Many a success in life has been wrought through heartache and failure, so don't let that stop you. Even along the road of success will be hurdles and discouragement which you will have to get over, but don't let that stop you either. Continue to run your race with your head held high and a song of hope and gladness in your heart. You may not be the first to cross the finishing line, but then the winner of a race is not always necessarily the swiftest runner in the race, but he who runs his race well by remaining focused, staying his course, and enduring to the end.

There will be times along the way when you may become weary. Stop and rest for a little while if you must, but don't give up, give in, or quit. Remain focused on your goals and objectives. The finishing line is just in sight. You can make it. Yes you can! May God give you the hope, courage, faith, and determination to endure to the end. God bless you all!

Lessons in the Key of Life

Lessons that I have learned as I journey through life.