Dear Friends,
Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for your prayers and encouragements.
♥ Thank God for strengthening me and restoring me day by day. I am feeling much better and learning to wait upon our Lord and rest in Him daily.
♥ Recently, one of my blogging friends, LivingForGod shared this poem "It's In the Valleys I Grow" with me. It is very encouraging to remember that though it is wonderful to experience the joy of mountain top experience in our Christian walk, it is often in the valley that we grow. The Christian life is truly a very joyful and blessed one as we trust in the Lord daily. But as Christians, we too go through all the ups and down in life, just like everyone else. We too experience sickness, failure, disappointment, death, loss, etc etc. But we can have comfort and hope in God because He loves us and He is with us all the time to strengthen, uphold and deliver us in His time. And it is often during the most difficult times in our life that God is very real to us and we experience His love and mercies in very practical and personal ways daily. Through this way, God draws us nearer to Himself and enables us to grow in Him. So it's in the valley that we grow the most.
I know this valley life very well. Bipolar disorder truly caused me to go through alternating mountain top and deep valley experiences. Whenever I am well, I am a little hypomania with lots of joy in the Lord, more energetic, more creative and productive. These are mountain tops experience and I often can accomplish much in my daily life and service for our Lord. It is hard during such time to know that I am not quite "normal" :) but rather I am going through extreme mood swing with greater energy and creativity that an average person would have. It is hard to imagine during such joyful and productive time that I can ever be any different.
But no one can be on the mountain top forever. Usually period of hypomania with too many projects and the 101 things I love to do, tend to lead to over-straining, burn out and depression. I will then go through prolonged severe depressions which are like deep valleys experiences and made to know very sensibly my many sins, failures and weaknesses. Thank God that through such valley experiences the Lord is causing me to see more and more of my need to depend upon Him. Without Him, I can do nothing at all. I realized that every time the Lord restored me and bring me out of the valley experience, He enabled me to grow a little in Him. He is becoming more and more precious to me daily. And I am finding greater joy in walking with Him and serving Him. He is helping me to grow in the valleys.
Hope this poem will encourage you too. If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet going through deep valley experience now, may you take comfort that the Lord is with you and He has a purpose in allowing you to go through it. He never leaves you nor forsake you and is holding you tightly. Though you may not see it clearly now, you will surely grow in this experience. It's in the valleys that we grow.
Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!
Warm Regards,
Nancie
Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for your prayers and encouragements.
♥ Thank God for strengthening me and restoring me day by day. I am feeling much better and learning to wait upon our Lord and rest in Him daily.
♥ Recently, one of my blogging friends, LivingForGod shared this poem "It's In the Valleys I Grow" with me. It is very encouraging to remember that though it is wonderful to experience the joy of mountain top experience in our Christian walk, it is often in the valley that we grow. The Christian life is truly a very joyful and blessed one as we trust in the Lord daily. But as Christians, we too go through all the ups and down in life, just like everyone else. We too experience sickness, failure, disappointment, death, loss, etc etc. But we can have comfort and hope in God because He loves us and He is with us all the time to strengthen, uphold and deliver us in His time. And it is often during the most difficult times in our life that God is very real to us and we experience His love and mercies in very practical and personal ways daily. Through this way, God draws us nearer to Himself and enables us to grow in Him. So it's in the valley that we grow the most.
I know this valley life very well. Bipolar disorder truly caused me to go through alternating mountain top and deep valley experiences. Whenever I am well, I am a little hypomania with lots of joy in the Lord, more energetic, more creative and productive. These are mountain tops experience and I often can accomplish much in my daily life and service for our Lord. It is hard during such time to know that I am not quite "normal" :) but rather I am going through extreme mood swing with greater energy and creativity that an average person would have. It is hard to imagine during such joyful and productive time that I can ever be any different.
But no one can be on the mountain top forever. Usually period of hypomania with too many projects and the 101 things I love to do, tend to lead to over-straining, burn out and depression. I will then go through prolonged severe depressions which are like deep valleys experiences and made to know very sensibly my many sins, failures and weaknesses. Thank God that through such valley experiences the Lord is causing me to see more and more of my need to depend upon Him. Without Him, I can do nothing at all. I realized that every time the Lord restored me and bring me out of the valley experience, He enabled me to grow a little in Him. He is becoming more and more precious to me daily. And I am finding greater joy in walking with Him and serving Him. He is helping me to grow in the valleys.
Hope this poem will encourage you too. If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet going through deep valley experience now, may you take comfort that the Lord is with you and He has a purpose in allowing you to go through it. He never leaves you nor forsake you and is holding you tightly. Though you may not see it clearly now, you will surely grow in this experience. It's in the valleys that we grow.
It's In the Valleys I Grow
By Jane Eggleston
Sometime life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble, and woe.
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross.
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was satan’s loss.
Forgive me, Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share Your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank You for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valleys I grow!
My brother took this picture in New Zealand.
Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!
Warm Regards,
Nancie
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