Mountains and Valleys
By Gerald Hochstetler
March 1, 2024
I have fought depression all my life. In these valleys or low, low, times of my life, I have begun to see a pattern. I write my best in the valley. I am less critical in the valley. My hope always becomes a hope that hopes in God alone.
On the mountain top, so quickly and so easily, I begin to believe in myself and MY abilities, and quickly, I become critical of others. I entertain thoughts like, “If they would get their life together, then they, too, could walk on the mountain top.”
What I am finding is that each valley experience makes the mountaintop experience less about me and more about God. I am not on this mountain because I deserve it or because I am more talented. I am enjoying a wonderful mountaintop experience because of God’s grace and mercy. The journey with God involves both the mountaintop and the valley. He is God of the whole journey.
Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you the power to be successful. In Deuteronomy 8, God said to remember, because we tend to forget. Believing that it is God who has given me the ability to be successful is not something that comes automatically. It’s usually something learned. Thus, God has to remind us.
God knows exactly what we need to create in us the person He wants us to be. For me, that involves some pretty dark valleys. But it is good. Because God is also the God of the valley.
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