April 20, 2024
by Ronda Wells
…for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:14 KJV
If I’d had good knees, I would have hiked many mountains in the Rockies and Appalachians. Majestic mountains are thrilling, and the scenic views are stunning. On a family vacation, we drove up to Pike’s Peak instead of taking the incline railway. The road is gorgeous but scary. Many curves have no room to pull over, so it’s either stop on the road or go off a cliff.
Not long after we reached the summit, my husband and I grew lightheaded. We thought we’d been in Colorado long enough to adjust to the altitude, but with each step harder than the last, I was short of breath. My thinking slowed. But our kids weren’t affected. In fact, our youngest ran around as usual, and asked, “What’s wrong with you, Mommy?”
We needed to drive back down.
Thankfully, prayer and coffee helped, and we proceeded with our descent.
Valley or Mountain?
Life’s series of ups and downs are called valleys and mountains. Hills are often considered symbols for power and triumph. The Bible, though, contains three times as many verses about valleys than mountains.
Valleys tend to be associated with death and depression—dark places we don’t want to pass through. King David prayed, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4 KJV).
Valley-sitting can be unsafe. One of my mother’s cousins perished in the horrendous 2022 Troublesome Creek flash flood in southeastern Kentucky. Thunderstorms had dropped a deluge of rain—600 percent more than normal—and four more inches fell before 10 p.m. on the night of July 27th.
A roaring awoke that cousin’s daughter, who lived next door to him. She faced a terrible choice.
Who to save?
Save herself and her two children, or alert her dad?
She ran up the hillside with her kids to the road, and barely made it before the massive wall of water struck.
Last fall, my husband and I tried to visit the family cemetery next to where the tragedy happened. We only drove as far as my mom’s old schoolhouse in Caney, which had also flooded, because I broke down. Seeing all the devastation, I could not go further.
I looked upward, comforted by Psalm 121: 1 (KJV) : “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”
Our faith needs to be a lot more like mountain climbing than valley-sitting.
Join the conversation. Do you have a tendency to stay in the valley too long?
This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).
About the Author: Physician and award-winning author Dr. Ronda Wells is a wife, mom, and grandma who puts faith and family first. She loves to write “heartfelt stories from the heartland.” A member of AWSA, ACFW, and Indiana ACFW, Ronda speaks to groups and writers’ conferences on Novel Malpractice: Get Your Medical Fiction Right. Connect with her at novelmalpractice.com or RondaWellsBooks.com.