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Author Topic: THE VALLEY
barrykind
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THE VALLEY

Mark Baker was going through a difficult time in his life when his
brother Tim, a noted geologist, told him the following story: "When I
was out doing a geological survey recently, I noticed an interesting
thing about the way the world is made.

Our team climbed up to the tallest mountain in the area, and we were
exhilarated by the view. Mountaintop experiences are great. However,
when you are up that high you are above the timberline. You see trees
only up to a certain altitude, and above that they can't survive. On
the
very top of the mountain there is no growth. But if you look down you
notice an interesting thing. All the growth is in the valleys."

This is true in our spiritual lives as well; when we are on top of the
mountain we are engulfed in the moment, leaving no room for growth.
However, when we're in the valley we tend to grow by leaps and bounds.
I'm not saying that the mountaintops are not good or that we should
never seek them; I'm merely stating that we should never overlook the
importance of the valley. After all, one can never climb to the top of
a
mountain without having first been forced to travel through the valley
to get there.

The Super Bowl is not won in February in front of a capacity crowd with
thousands of flashing cameras illuminating the stands; the Super Bowl
is
won in August with individuals training in weight-rooms and practice
fields where no cheering fans can be found. The biggest game in
football
is won by individuals who are growing through sweat and toil at the
bottom of the mountain. Possessing the determination to climb to the
very top, each of these individuals has paid his dues for one short
glimpse of glory, only for the process to start all over again next
season.

Until we reach our final destination we will have traveled through many
valleys before ever seeing even one beautiful mountaintop, only to
travel more valleys just to reach the top of another mountain. Every
valley we travel is one step closer in helping us not only get to the
top, but also appreciate all that we see while there. If we had never
walked through a dark and painful valley, how could we truly appreciate
what we find at the top of the mountain? Constantly living at the top
would be wonderful, but just like trees we could not survive the high
altitudes. God knows exactly what it takes for each of us to grow, and
just how long we can endure the pressures of high altitudes.

Asking God to remove you from a valley would be like a football player
asking his coach to exclude him from training. His pain and suffering
may temporarily be relieved, but when the big game approaches he will
not be prepared and could possibly even get hurt due to his lack of
conditioning. The coach knows that if a player is going to be a
successful starter in tip-top shape; he must first go through the
rigorous training before ever suiting up on game day.

As you go through growing pains, keep in mind any athlete or trainer
will tell you "No pain no gain." Before a player has ever run sixty
yards for a touchdown in a game, he has run that particular pattern a
thousand times or more in practice until he physically felt he could
not
take another step.

The game is truly won on the practice field, not on the playing field.
So remember, when you feel as though you are at your lowest point,
you're actually winning the game.


BY: MIKE COLLINS

--------------------
The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27

Posts: 3529 | From: Orange, Texas | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator


 
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