Have you ever dreamed of something that you expected to come in reality? I believe we all have a dream. Dream that we once had in our hearts and thoughts. Some of us waited for that specific dream to come true. In the waiting, a unique emotion positions your heart into something exciting. Something beautiful, but what if that dream of yours fell apart? What would you do? What would you feel? How do you move forward in reality, knowing all those beautiful dreams are shattered?
WALKING DOWN THE VALLEY INSTEAD OF DOWN THE AISLE
I once was in a situation where I dreamed and waited for a particular dream, but my dream fell apart. I found myself walking down the valley instead of down the aisle, wearing a black dress in the valley instead of a white dress in the aisle. I once imagined myself walking down the aisle wearing my beautiful white dress and holding my favourite flower, the lily of the valley. It was a lovely dream, but it did not turn out how I wanted it to happen. It happened the other way around.
I never thought I would be wearing a black dress and holding a flower full of thorns. I found myself walking alone in the valley when I opened my eyes.
I was holding those broken pieces of dreams in my hand. The more I try to hold tight those broken pieces in my hand, the more deep cuts I get. At first, I did not know where I was. I am nowhere to be found. I was lost, and I did not know where to go. I couldn’t see the roads. Everything was unclear and blurry. The surroundings were foggy. I tried to move forward, but with every step of my foot, there was a word engraved in my footprint, and it was called a “shattered dream”. I am standing in the unknown, where reality is visible. The reality is that I am now standing in a place I do not want to be in. Honestly, I never pictured myself walking down the valley for a particular reason I had never thought of. It was cold and dark. There was no light to be found, and I was alone, wondering how I had entered a situation I had never dreamed about.
I FOUND PEACE IN THE VALLEY
As I share this personal and deep part of my life, I remember those terrors of the nights and storms during the day. Valley is the most difficult to surpass, but it is where I found peace along the way. Yes, it is possible to have peace in the middle of the valley. I may not know what situation you are going through at this point; maybe you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, a transition in your career, a family issue, infertility, or relationship loss. If you find yourself walking down the valley instead of walking down to the dream you once had in mind, I want you to know that you are not alone in the valley. Even if you feel like you are walking alone, you don’t know where to go, or you don’t know where to hold on to. Remember that someone is holding you and walking with you through the darkest valley. You are never alone in that dark and cold place. Have you noticed that you discovered so many things you did not think you would find out in the unknown? It is a place of self-discovery. A place of learning. A place of healing. There is so much peace in the darkest valley. There is so much grace in that cold and unknown place. You encounter uncertainties outside the valley but will experience certain things inside the valley.
You encounter uncertainties outside the valley but will experience certain things inside the valley.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO GET ANGRY BUT DO NOT LIVE IN IT
You know what? Whatever you want to say, whatever pain you carry, maybe you are mad right now because of life’s uncertainties. You have the right to feel all the unknown emotions. You have the right to get mad. Just remember, do not live in it. Cry and weep as much as you want at this point. Go to God. Cry out to Him. Tell Him everything you feel.
Acknowledge everything, and be honest with yourself. Take that mask off. Be real and authentic to yourself. Face the mirror and talk to yourself. It might look like you are crazy, but I want you to know that you are not crazy by talking to yourself. I do not care how ugly your cry is. Know that I am so proud of you for stepping your foot forward. I also do not care how slow your process is. God is not looking for a race. He is looking at your heart. God is not asking you to be fast enough or smart enough. He has always been willing to wait for you in the process. You are brave enough to take off your mask and face yourself. Most of the time, the enemy is you. The battle is in the mind, so please learn to take that mask off and be with your true self. Do not run away. Stay still no matter how heavy and painful the process is. You will get through this. You will get through this because your heavenly Father is gracious enough to carry you whenever you cannot walk along the way.
Accept the reality that there are things you can’t control. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you couldn’t control the situation? What would you do? It would break our hearts if things did not go how we wanted them to, right? Instead of fighting in your own will, learn to surrender the things you can’t control to the author of control. Allow Him to handle your situation in the middle of the darkest valley.
Through the process, we develop DEEPER FAITH WITH GOD.
PSALMS 23
This verse is very familiar to me. I hear it everywhere. However, when I was in the valley, I experienced a different understanding of it. It gave me a profound meaning during my stay in a dark and cold place. It was my daily food when I couldn’t eat, and it was my sleeping pill when I couldn’t sleep. It is full of promises I never thought would help me go through the hard places of my life. This verse became my everyday prayer when the light was not yet visible.
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
1The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
QUESTION: CAN GOD REALLY SPREAD A TABLE IN THE DARKEST VALLEY?
I will be honest with you. With all the pain and hurts I’ve been through, it is hard to trust God in the process. I doubted Him so many times. I questioned Him as well. Yes, that is brutally honest. That’s the most authentic I could describe my reality during my stay in the valley. The funny thing is, even if I believed all those lies in my mind, I knew in myself that I would always go back to God. I have nowhere to go, even if I complain and doubt Him in every struggle I encounter.
The painful experience in the valley led me to a place of healing. I found peace and safety even if it was quiet. The quietness in my journey made me realize that I needed to process those situations that were loud in my mind. Being in a quiet situation doesn’t mean nothing is happening. There is a big meaning underneath the “nothing.” Am I healed yet? At this point, I couldn’t tell you one hundred percent, but I know that I am moving forward, and I do not want to lose this chance where growth is present. Most growth in life is in the painful experiences we encounter. The greatest source of learning is pain. Without the pain, you will not encounter a breakthrough. If there is pain, there is joy coming.
Most growth in life is in the painful experiences we encounter.
The pain you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming. Romans 8:18
In hard places, God is with you. He is present, always been present. Do not forget that He is holding your heart no matter what. No matter how dark your situation is, do not give up. Just walk forward until you see the light. You are close to God—closer than you know. You are held by Him—in the hard places and the good places.
You are close to God—closer than you know. You are held by Him—in the hard places and the good places.
THERE IS A BEAUTY IN THE DARKEST VALLEY
It is in the UNKNOWN PLACES where you grow.
It is in the PAINFUL SITUATIONS where you heal. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
From this passage, there is so much assurance. We do not need to know what tomorrow brings. We have a good Shepherd who is taking care of everything. Just like sheep, they follow their shepherd. The same thing in life. We must follow the Shepherd and fix our eyes on Him until we finally make it all the way home. Everything will be provided according to His will. You will experience a satisfied heart.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
There is peace in the middle of suffering.
There is joy in the middle of loneliness.
You will find rest in the middle of turmoil.
In the dry land, God will quiet your soul.
There is hope besides peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
God is faithful in guiding you at every step. Do not be afraid. When your soul is weary, He renews your strength. When you are tired of fighting, remember He will never get tired of fighting for you. So please do not give up because someone is fighting for you dearly. As He promised, He will renew your strength. Every time you want to give up because you are tired of this life you have, know that God’s desire is to renew your strength and your anxious soul.
Even if we do not know where to go. God is guiding us in the right direction.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
I like this part of Psalm 23; meditating on and seeing God’s glorious comfort is very interesting.
ROD is used to fight off the things coming against the sheep. It is used to defend the sheep from future harm.
STAFF removes things or pulls the sheep back before they step into places they are not allowed to go.
We are like sheep, where the Shepherd protects His sheep.
ROD is used to fight against enemies. Your enemy could be your unhealthy thoughts. Negative spaces you believe in are part of an unhealthy battle of the mind. God is protecting you against those situations that could harm you.
Staff is used to pull us back when we are close to the clift of distraction. God removes us from a certain situation that can harm us. There are areas in our lives that we are about to step into, but God uses His staff to take us back into His arms. God is so faithful in protecting us. Areas that are not from God. He pulls us back to His presence.
Sometimes, the no’s in life are God’s way of protecting us and leading us into better yes. We can’t have the best yes without letting go of the no. It is a painful reality, but there is learning in excruciating no. God is loving, and that is what I know. It might not be clear to you why things happened the way you least expect the most, but God is God, and He is still SOVEREIGN.
He always comforts us. Sometimes, we do not feel comforted by God, but He is our comforter in times of anxiousness. Our emotions are way too strong if we are at the peak of our situation. They prevent us from seeing God’s love and comfort. Trust Him, even if you do not understand what is happening. He will let you understand as you continue to journey with Him in the darkest valley.
5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
Another version of this passage says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” God creates a table for you. As you go through hard places on this journey, know that peace will be provided to your weary soul.
It is not about the destination but about the journey. Although you might encounter bumps along the way, God will never leave you. He will continue to hold you despite the unfamiliar roads.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Everything may fail, but God’s love will forever remain. He will never stop pursuing us and will continue pursuing us for the rest of our lives. He is the only One who is certain in this world. He always proves true to His promises. He is faithful, loving, and gracious. You are never alone in the dark. Someone is with you, patiently walking with you all the way home.
The valley is the easiest place to connect with God, and the grassy or green place is the most challenging. Have you noticed that? It is in the hard places that we find God’s presence. Sometimes, it is in the grassy areas that we get lost in translation.
But do you know why connecting with God in the grassy land is hard? This is because grassy areas represent a happy, smooth or stable life. Good news and great things are in a grassy area. You will feel a stable space; sometimes, it is a place where you encounter a busy life. This is a place where you encounter good and great things that are going on in your life. Nothing is wrong with it, but do not neglect or forget your Father when you are on the mountaintops. The more great news you receive or the more success you have, the more you connect to the One who brings you into the grassy land or the mountaintops.
GOD WILL FOREVER PURSUE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY OR EVEN AT THE MOUNTAINTOPS.
In the midst of good things happening in your life, are you going to trust God? Will you still allow Him to lead you? or Will you still allow Him to be your Shepherd despite the stable state of your life?
Know that IT IS GOD WHO BRINGS US PEACE, NOT OUR PLANS…
REMEMBER:
🌸 TRUST GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF CHANGE
🌸 IT IS GOD WHO BRINGS US PEACE, NOT OUR PLANS
🌸 Even if we do not know where to go. God is guiding us in the right direction.
🌸 It is never too late to start a new beginning and discover new things despite the messy places you’ve encountered.
🌸 Being in a quiet situation doesn’t mean nothing is happening. There is a big meaning underneath the “nothing.”
🌸 GOD WILL FOREVER PURSUE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY OR EVEN AT THE MOUNTAINTOPS.
🌸Through the process, we develop DEEPER FAITH WITH GOD.
🌸God is not asking us to be fast enough or smart enough.
GOOD READS:
It says in John 10:9
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep, and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
“Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.” John10:9-10, 14-15 NIV
As I meditate on this verse, it gives me so much hope.
Those who come THROUGH ME will be SAVED— yes, I will be saved from the attacks of the enemy—anxiety, panic attacks, depression, overthinking, low self-esteem, battles of the mind, comparing myself to others, loneliness, etc.
They will COME & GO FREELY—This is an invitation to go to God every single day, no matter how I feel that day. He wants me to experience freedom—so much freedom God has for me, so much freedom in God’s loving arms.
Will FIND GOOD PASTURES—God is saying that there is fullness of joy in His presence. Those who come in the Lord will find rest in Him. He prepares a healthy place for those who trust and believe in Him. He promised that “I will find good pastures”— I will find healing… healing to my soul, healing to my heart, healing to my childhood trauma, and I will find peace, joy, hope, confidence and comfort in His presence at the same time.
GOD NEVER FAILS.
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep, and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:9-10, 14-15 NIV
This is my playlist while writing. Check this out. It is a lovely song. 🩷
Constellations by Ellie Holcomb.
Love,
Charisse 👸🏻
