Stories Provide Hope in the Valleys

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By Stacey Pinz

The Bible makes it clear that throughout our faith journeys, there will be moments of hills and valleys:
     
     Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be
     made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the      
     rough places a plain. -Isaiah 40:4-5

     But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a
     land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven.-
     Deuteronomy 11:11

     Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no
     evil, for you are with me. -Psalm 23:4

These are just a few of the many more verses that refer to mountaintops, which can represent moments of feeling close to God; as well as the valleys, which can symbolize distance from God, or difficult times like despair, defeat, or discouragement.

When we are walking through a valley, sometimes it is easy, at least for me anyway, to fall into a pit of self-pity and gloom. However, the Bible says in Psalm 121:1-2: "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

As this verse indicates, and many more like it throughout God's word, it is important to seek sources of hope, choose joy in the midst of struggle, and believe that the Lord will, indeed, provide help. His word says He will, so it will be.

Sometimes, however, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the circumstances and realize that the help may come in unexpected ways and from unexpected sources.

While I pray for God to fix my problems, to change my circumstances, to give me tools to move to the mountaintop, His timing is His timing, and the Bible also says it's perfect, so it, too, will be.

In the meantime, He still gives hope. You see, during this valley, I got to help share a beautiful story about an infant heart transplant. How can I possibly feel hopeless when I can clearly see God's miracles all over this story?

God gave a mother moments of special discernment to advocate for her infant son. God gave another mother comfort as he shaped the clouds for her. God joined two families together through a miracle of life, which also, tragically, showed the purpose of loss. But God put it all together; He truly is making all things beautiful.

He made this story beautiful, and there are so many more stories showing his ability to change an ugly situation into something beautiful. Even though I am still in a valley, stories like this give me hope. I am thankful that even though God has not "solved" my problems, when I have the opportunity to learn about His stories, my eyes look up to the hills and “He has given me hope.

God is always working, He is always putting the right pieces together, and He is always writing our stories. As a wise friend reminds me, He will use this to minister to someone someday; I guess that's why it is so important to share stories. Stories provide hope in the valleys.