Thursday Thoughts With Theresa: "In Which We Were Built for the Valley"

“We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God’s standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend…” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Have you ever anticipated something big in your life? Or maybe you’ve experienced what it feels like to become a brand new Christian. Or maybe you’ve experienced God revealing something in your life that has brought you immense joy.

As mothers of preschoolers, at the least, we’ve all  experienced the anticipation of becoming a bride and the anticipation of becoming mother. Two of the most glorious times of our lives, I’ll bet. And with each, we’ve understood that mountain top experience. And with each, we’ve had to come down.

We’ve had to come down to the trenches of figuring out how two people with two different personalities and two different upbringings merge as one. And we’ve had to come down to the trenches of sleepless nights with our new infants and temper tantrums with our toddlers; navigating the valleys of our own short temperaments, lack of patience and selfishness.

What happened to our glorious mountain top experience? And what do we do with the messes that seem to cloud the anticipation of a bigger picture?

Oswald Chambers tells us that, “We are not built for the mountains, and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.”

You see, all this ordinary stuff we do as moms and as wives and as children of God is what we were created for. This is where the real work happens in our lives. We may not see it or feel it when we’re in the trenches, diligent and disciplined, enduring and courageous. But this is where the true test of our spiritual lives rest. The power to come down from that mount and work out our salvation, work at our marriages, and to work through the messes that come with raising these children for his glory.

So dear moms, do not despair when your everydays are not ringing with melodic tunes. God hears the melody even when we don’t. Be diligent. Be courageous. Endure. Your work matters.

And those moments he does give us on those mounts will be all the more glorious because of the valleys we have encountered and trusted him through.

-Theresa Miller, MOPS mom

Theresa is a wife and mother of four children (3, 5, 7, and 9), who are embarking on their first year of homeschooling. Theresa has been involved in Sheridan MOPS for the last 9 ½ years, serving in multiple leadership positions, including Day MOPS Coordinator in 2007-2008. She took one year off, then started the Sheridan Evening MOPS group in September 2009. Theresa has published an article with MOPS International MOMSnext Ezine, in addition to other on-line publications. You can find Theresa encouraging mothers on her blog, Heavenly Glimpses.