In 1937 Thomas Dorsey wrote “Peace in The Valley” for Mahalia Jackson. It has been recorded by everyone imaginable. The lyrics are hopeful, a FINAL day of peace. It talks about peace in the valley in the future. Well, my future in Heaven will not be a valley. Valleys are in the here and now. Yet, I can have PEACE in the VALLEY now according to scripture. God’s word says,

Psalm 23:4 (NASB)

^“”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

It seems with every year I have found myself saying on December 31st, “next year will be better.” I look over what has been and think it cannot get worse, then it does. So, four months in to this year and the world has been closed months. Who knew? Ahhh, satan* raises his ugly head. Fear? Doubt? No, remember where I have been, what I have been carried through.

The year my parents both had open heart surgery and my oldest brother was in the horrible car wreck that ruined his life, also brought a loss job for my husband, an unfavorable medical diagnosis for myself, a car wreck and several other calamities.

The year I picked up my oldest brother on his birthday to take him to his oldest son’s funeral was a roller coaster of ups and downs. My nephew died too young from a brain tumor. We had a wedding, a birth, another car wreck, a death. Four Friday’s in a row. Roller coaster emotions.

In what seemed a very short span Dad died after 7 months in hospitals following a stroke during his 5 bypass surgery. We lost my middle brother in a plane crash. Then my nephew; three generations of men, dad, brother, nephew, all gone in a short span. A spirit of fear hovered. It is how satan* attacks.

Another corporate buyout resulted in another job lost. My youngest daughter was almost killed in a collapsed building at college during an E4 tornado. The same week my 2 year old granddaughter needed her stomach pumped from a bottle of cough syrup. Mom had just gone to be with the Lord after 18 months of care following a fall.

Another job lost , the foreclosure and losing my custom designed house. We moved into a rental the realtor said was secure. Four months in, owners were foreclosed. My body had enough.

We will never know the cause of the double bleed stroke that resulted in the air flight of myself from Florida hospital to TGH’s NICU. The DVA in my brain was congenital and waited six decades to rupture. The struggle to relearn, to keep on fighting was a hurdle. The medicines and side effects overwhelm me. The perpetual headache from the lesion. The difference in the way people treat me. Handicapped is not disabled. Brain damaged is not brain dead. Circumstances I choose not to focus on, though ever present.

Trial after trial. Life in a fallen world. One heart-break seems to follow another. When trials keep coming, falling one behind another like dominoes, you ask yourself, “when will the feasting years come?”. In the Bible Joseph had bad years followed by good years. King Solomon had great years. So then why not me? That is not a question from God? Eternal blessings are what we look at and count.

I will not allow satan* to fill me with theses lies. I do have so many blessings. At times I do not see them because I start looking at the current circumstances. So many times I could look at my life and think “poor me”. But, all I need is to look around me or, across the world, and see just how good my life is here. My very worse is still blessed by comparison.

No matter what you are going through, God does NOT make mistakes. With the bad comes His presence. If you focus on the bad of the circumstance you stumble. When you look back and see all He has brought you through you know He can carry you through anything. Remind yourself daily all God HAS brought you through, all HE has done for you. Do not let people tell you He will not give you more than you can handle. That is not what 1 Corinthians 10:13 says. It means He will never allow more to touch you than will cause you to lose your faith and give up. You might feel like you are going to, but, He will be there and He will remind you who He is and what He has done. He will carry you through; He is your out. We truthfully have no idea how much we can handle anyway. Just remember that all goes through His hands before it ever touches us.

So, I will not worry about if it is all going to turn around and be great. Neither will I “borrow trouble” as mom liked to say. I will take each day as He gives it, thanking Him for all the blessings that satan* tries to make me forget by enticing me to look at the circumstances in life. Life will bring what He allows. Good or bad does not matter as I can rejoice in Him regardless. I have seven Grandchildren, wonderful blessings. My two daughters are blessings. We celebrated 43 years of marriage in January.

Today. The forecast says clear blue skies. I can see a variety of large wading birds, and listen to the songbirds in the trees. The coffee smells wonderful. My cat is purring. Bacon is sizzling. It is another day. God’s creation is beautiful, He cares about every detail. He cares about me and all my details. He is not ignoring them, He is allowing them. I can take comfort in knowing they will work to my good regardless of whether they or good things or bad. Blessings are everywhere.

Romans 8:28 NASB

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

I am looking forward to today Lord. Help me to trust You today, keeping my focus on You and not whatever the day brings. Teach me.

*satan is always lower case in my writings, because he is one.

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