be grateful for the valleys of darkness

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NRSV

Sometimes we can be like little children! Not that there is anything wrong with that, as Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must be like little children. Yet to do so feels as if we have taken a step backwards in Faith.
It's like the road trip you have planned all along and the kid in the backseat chimes in, "are we there yet?"
Any time an occurrence happens that has us questioning God and our Faith, it is like the proverbial kid..."are we there yet?"

A setback, an illness, a loss...it all has us asking..."I don't understand, I thought that if I did exactly what You had asked of me, we'd be there by now. Yet here I am...when will I be 'there' yet?"

When you finally get to "there," what do you see? Is it better than anything that you have ever hoped it could be? Once there, do you bask in the glory and greatness that is God, or are you so caught up in the finality of the destination that you have forgotten the journey...the "what" that brought you to this place?

A year ago, in the midst of a very cold winter, I had finally settled in to what I figured was going to become a way of life. The husband had been out of work far longer than I had thought he would be. Day after day, he checked online job sources, filled out job applications, talked to numerous hiring managers and yet, evening would fall with no real progress. I gave it all up to God and was confident that we would be alright for the time being. I was dogsitting, babysitting, recycling aluminum cans that I was scrounging around for, selling off possessions we really didn't need, plus finding good re-saleable stuff in our townhome's Dumpster. Every time I thought we were at the precipice, God pulled us back. We had "enough." I was grateful for that!

Finally come Easter, everything fell into place all at once! Husband had a new job, we needed to relocate and a house that we liked and could afford was available and we began our new life.
I took a look around me and was just overwhelmed by how good and beautiful it all was and still is! I gave thanks to God--and still do--each day for bringing us to this place. And yes, though initially I also had my "are we there YET?" moments...and even times when I would break down and ask, "how much more of this can I deal with?" God was always there, always our Guide....and finally we broke through the fog and looked out over a valley of plenty...I think the Israelites felt that way too, once they made it to the land of milk and honey. God had placed people on our journey that I will also be very grateful for....much like a field trip has a guide to show you the sights, making you feel confident that you are where you are supposed to be!

I remind you all the time, you must have Faith. You will walk through the valley of the shadow of death-- we all do at some point-- but you must fear no evil will come upon you. That dark cloud will clear to sunny skies yet again. The main lesson is that you not forget where you came from and what you had been through. Be grateful for the valleys of darkness, for they have shown you how strong you are...and what you have been through. They are steps in the lessons of faith that have taught you that you can succeed despite all that is tossed at you. But you cannot do it alone...you must allow God to be your Guide! Instead of questioning "are we there YET?" simply go along in faith, take note of what you see and be grateful when you have made it through the storm to a beautiful day. It makes the journey worthwhile.