Getting out of the Valley | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Getting out of the Valley | Previous Challenge Entry
By Susan martin
08/17/06
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Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in California was great, the air was clear, neighborhoods were safe and everyone watched out for each other. As a child we could hop on our bikes and leave with our friends in the morning and were expected to be home in time for dinner. The mountains surrounding the valley were beautiful and kept the valley free from the outside elements like bad storms, tornados and the like.

As the years went by everything started to change, crime started becoming rampant, prejudices and racism were becoming more common, gangs were moving in and soon it wasn’t as safe for a parent to even leave their kids out without watching their every move. Soon, because the beautiful mountains kept the outside elements out, the air started becoming more polluted from the growing population and had no where to go, causing a new term “Smog Alert”. Additionally, because of the safety of our mountains, rain very rarely made their way over causing draughts year after year.

How long I wished I could live on the other side of the mountains; eventually I did move away and it was the best move I ever made. It was a hard decision to make and took a lot of work to get out, but once I made the decision, everything seemed to fall into place.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a valley, when we first get there we don’t even realize that we are. It may be a small valley like your car not starting, a deadline at work, a cold or the flu, but before long the car is fixed, the work deadline is met and we are feeling better. This little valley could last a day or more.

At other times we may find ourselves in a much bigger valley, you may wake to find that you are very much alone, an incurable illness, a large amount of debt or a deep depression, just to name a few, and these aren’t problems that will go away in a few days. At first our valley keeps us secluded from the outside, we may even feel safe in our valley, but that is not where God wants us. He wants us to enjoy what He has for us on the other side of those mountains that surround us.

I have found myself in very long, deep valleys many times, and what I have done when I find myself there is look at the beauty of the mountains around me and that I will soon find myself on top of those mountains ready to be on the other side. Staying in the valley keeps out the people that care about me and keeps me from enjoying what God has available for me to enjoy.

So when you are in your valley, no matter how safe it feels and no matter how long or hard it may seem to get to the other side of those mountains around you, just keep going because when you do get to the other side of that beautiful mountain range, and you will, it will be the best move of your life too.

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