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the trickiness of mountains and valleys.

October 2, 2015 Sara Smith
the trickiness of mountains and valleys | Feathers & Roots

Sometimes I day dream about living someplace different.  When I think about what would be different about this someplace, most often I imagine that there are mountains.  Tall, magnificent, lush mountainous terrain.  

Or at least hills.  

There is something about being on a mountain, or even near a mountain, that makes me breathe deep.  Somehow I feel more grounded in the present.  I feel more like myself than when I was standing on my ordinary, flat, sparsely grassed yard at home.  I feel like I have the potential not only to live, but also to flourish.

Maybe I feel this way because in the part of Florida where I live, the closest thing we have to a mountain is a mound of dirt piled beside a construction site.  

Or maybe it's not just me.  After all, when we feel the highs of life or when we feel extremely close to God, don't we call these mountain-top experiences?  

I know what it looks like to flourish on top of a mountain.  It's easy because the soundtrack in the background is just my style and God is so close I can almost see His face and there is bounty in the blessings.  The air is fresh and crisp, the sun is pleasantly warm and there are little purple flowers in the green, green grass.  Everything is running smoothly and joyfully.  I might even be able to hear someone singing exuberantly, "The HILLS are aliiiiiiiive!!!" 

Yep, it's pretty easy up there on the mountain.

But I haven't quite figured out how to master this flourishing business down here in the valley- this often puzzling place where I live most of the time. 

Even though I know it will look different,  I have to imagine God wants us to flourish here, too.  But this is where it's tricky.  How do you translate mountain flourishing into valley flourishing?  The idea of a valley, when compared to a mountain, seems totally opposite and kind of depressing.  To flourish there doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  But it might be that I'm looking at the valley all wrong.  Maybe I'm a little misconstrued as to what a valley really is.

So I actually looked up the definition of valley.  Nerd that I am.  And most of what I found contained phrases such as low points and depressions between uplands and hollows and periods of fear and gloom.  

Well...yikes.  

But then there was this one definition that stood out from the others, and in it perhaps lies the key to flourishing when you feel like you are surrounded by drab.  It said: "an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream." (from dictionary.com).

So there is life to be found in the valley, and nourishment, too.  

"...but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God.  We see His glory on the mount, but we never live for His glory there."  -Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, October 2nd devotion

It is good for us to be in awe of God's glory, but He has a course for us in the valley that we can't follow when we are sitting stationary.

We may doubt the purpose in walking most of our journey down in the valley, but the valley creates in us things the mountain never can.  A steadfastness.  A tested and proven faith.  A humility that leads us to trust deeper the One who is guiding us.  The valley is where, as Mr. Chambers put it so wisely, we find our true worth.

Though this life may be hard at times and seem more subdued than what we find when we are way up high, it doesn't have to be miserable.  There is a peace and a quiet joy for us when we let go of having mountainous expectations for our everyday.  Maybe as we do this, we can let our feet sink into the earth of this valley and at least begin to allow ourselves a little flourishing.

And there is reassurance knowing that we are never alone as we walk.

God is right there with us, carving His mark on us gently like the waters of a stream carve the space between two mountains.  

In gaining wisdom Tags faith, contentment, glorifying God, in the valley
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Feathers & Roots | blog about motherhood and faith

Hi there, I'm Sara!  

Mama bird to 2 little ladies + Wife + Saved by grace.

This is where I share my stories of  motherhood and faith. 

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This is what happens when I try to get a nice photo with both of my daughters...๐Ÿ˜ฉ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜˜ #threenager
โค๏ธโค๏ธ
Happy 30th birthday to this guy! Weโ€™ve known each other since we were 18, and itโ€™s amazing to think back on all the life weโ€™ve lived together since then. Who knew this boy I๏ธ happened to sit next to on a park bench my freshman year in college was going to be my husband, best friend and father of my children. Happy birthday, love, I๏ธโ€™m so excited to see what this year will hold. โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
P.s.- I๏ธ wanted to throw him a Thirty, Flirty and Thriving party but he didnโ€™t share my enthusiasm for that idea...๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌ(Major ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ™Œ to you if you get my reference. ๐Ÿ˜˜) P.p.s.- I๏ธ know Iโ€™ve taken a lot of time away from here, and I๏ธ would like to share about that at some point...Iโ€™m very much still figuring out how I๏ธ feel about being here in a healthy way. But for now I๏ธ thought it would be okay to share this sweet photo and take a minute to celebrate my hubby. ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š๐ŸŽ‰
A very, very belated birthday photo. Can't believe my first baby is 3 already, and in one year I'll be 30... ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ญโค๏ธ๐ŸŽ‰
I debated over posting this but decided that the perspectives and wisdom in this book are way too good not to share, and so here I am. I've been pretty absent on here lately, and I'd like to be really honest with why in the hope that if any of you share my struggles, you will find encouragement and peace in what's true and also in knowing that you aren't alone. 
I've struggled badly, in every way possible I think, as a result of using this little app in an unhealthy way. Insecurity, comparison, envy, loneliness, rejection, obsessing over growing a following, depression, confusion over what true community looks like here(and if it's even possible), checking my phone over and over again to see my comments and likes, snapping at my kids for interrupting me, ignoring my husband, anxiety over which photo to post...the list goes on. You name it, I've felt it. And I'm really tired. I've experienced firsthand that life can be lonely and tedious, and sometimes we feel like our lives won't matter or be seen unless they're recorded here and lots of people like and comment on them. And I've also experienced firsthand that this way of seeking validation has not in any way been worth the amount of energy I have put into it. It's never given me the peace and satisfaction I've been looking for because our worth as human beings was never meant to be reduced to such levels when there is a God who gives us a worth and meaning beyond words. 
So I've decided to take a huge step back from social media...not sure for how long...but I want to figure out how to be here in a way that is healthy and meaningful, that brings joy to myself and others, that maintains authenticity and ultimately points to the One who brings true peace and satisfaction to all our desires. Instagram will never fill us. It will never validate us. No human praise or affection ever will.  No amount of followers or brand collabs or photo features or free stuff or complimentary comments or Follow Fridays ever will. If these words hit a nerve with you, I can't recommend this book enough. Thank you @tonyreinke for allowing God to speak wisdom through you. (Post continued in comments....๐Ÿ‘‡)
Now that Nora is walking, she's been feeling pretty good about herself (lots of increased levels of exuberance and feistiness going on over here๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™ˆ ) And so I call this the power stance. โœŠ๏ธ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ˜œ

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