My handy dandy New Oxford American Dictionary says - a low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it.
Sheesh, doesn't it sound beautiful? I'd say, it sounds nice to walk through a valley beside a flowing river with a friend. It sounds peaceful. :)
But...what about walking through the valley alone? I'm sure valleys take longer than just 15 minutes to get through. Say this valley took a few weeks, maybe a few months, to walk through. Traveling day and night, hoping that being there alone is as bad as it gets. When the sun isn't out at noon, the valley is so dark that the steps you take must be small so you don't take a fall over a rock or something. Imagine that. Imagine how frightening that is. I mean, shoot, walking through Waipahu at night scares me! How much more a valley in the middle of nowhere? A valley that I'm totally unfamiliar with. I have never been there before, never walked that path, never seen it - EVER.
Oh, how I wish I had a map to tell me which way to go.
It's interesting how God uses seasons like these in our life to help us develop our character. Walking through this valley, I'll admit, is pretty difficult. Even my sisters, walking through valleys, are walking through their OWN valleys. So they are nowhere to be found. Being here gets rough, because I'm not always careful with my steps. Sometimes, I'm not even looking. I fall into a ditch or trip over a rock - I'm on my knees, all bruised and scratched up. With only time to heal those wounds, the walk gets tougher. It's funny how we call this a valley. It sounds so much better than walking through a desert for 40 years! But this valley isn't necessarily a beautiful place.
The only hope I have is that this walk won't take forever. Soon enough, if I just continue walking, I'll come into open land once again. But for now, I'm here...trying to find my way out.
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