Going through a rough patch?

“Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength
till each appears before God in Zion.”
Psalm 84: 5-7

I really like the comment from strength to strength. That so is life, isn’t it? Always working, always growing. We are never perfect and can always use improvement, while also learning more about ourselves and the world we live in. The phrase reminds me of an expression Dahlstrom used in one of his sermons (which sidenote: was a pivotal sermon day in the life of Joelle). He said that we as Christians are to grow “from glory to glory to glory.” And while stating that sentence, he used his hand to motion stair stepping up with each progressive “glory”. Granted to grow from glory to glory, we can only do so by allowing God to take our burden at each turn we come to. Otherwise we stay on that stair step for as long as we refuse to give into God’s help and HIS way.

But that was just a Joelle tangent. I liked the Bible commentary on the above three verses:

“Because Baca can mean ‘weeping,’ it may have been a symbolic reference to the times of struggles and tears through which people must pass on their way to meet God. Growing strong in God’s presence is often preceded by a journey through barren places in our lives. The person who loves to spend time with God will see his or her adversity as an opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness even more deeply. If you are walking through your own Valley of Baca today, be sure your pilgrimage leads toward God, not away from Him.”

I’m sure all of us can relate to numerous challenging life scenarios. It goes along with being human. Oh the joys. But I think the key is how you view your hardship. Is the glass going to be half empty—the pessimistic view that life sucks and God is against/hates you so this must be punishment, or is the glass half full—the optimistic view that trials come with being alive, and are not specifically created by God, but rather He can use them to grow you as a person and teach you through the pain? I personally find life easier to deal with when my glass is half full.

Cheers.