December 19, 2022
Melissa Valerio
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and cheer, right? All the houses decorated with twinkling Christmas lights, the stores buried in Christmas decorations, commercials and ads dangling Christmas sales in front of you, the fresh scent of merriment in the air. But what if this year isn’t a happy Christmas for you? What if this year is different?
Suffering is rude. It barges its way into our lives with no warning. It outstays its welcome 100% of the time. And it rarely comes at a convenient time. Doesn’t it understand that this is Christmastime? This is supposed to be a time of laughter and get-togethers and meal sharing and gift giving and decorating the tree and loving your neighbor and all those happy Christmassy things. Couldn’t we have wrapped this “thing” up a couple of months ago, so we were good and ready to enjoy the holiday season? Sigh… if only life happened that way.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 ESV) The definition of a shadow, according to Merriam-Webster, is “the dark figure cast upon a surface by a body intercepting the rays from a source of light”. Interesting, that you cannot have a shadow without the presence of light. Like two sides of a coin. This shadow that King David talks about in Psalm 23 is the “valley”. Those low points in life that suck the very breath out of you. The valley could be ongoing physical pain or illness, a broken relationship, or financial worries. It could be the death of a loved one, it could be legal problems, it could be any number of things that linger in life and cause suffering in the soul. But here is a beautiful truth – look at how David puts it – “…though I walk through the valley” which means we are not standing still, nor are we living within the valley, we are walking through it. Try to remember this when your heart cannot seem to take another lashing. This valley is a passing shadow. It’s a means to an end. It’s a path to righteousness leading to a better place. And as hard as it is, we simply cannot get to the other side without going through it. Let’s find another beautiful truth to layer upon this one — Hebrews 13:5b-6 “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man to do me?” (ESV) We can even flip that to say, “what can the valleys do to me?!?!” If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) These valleys are under His authority! Even the shadows are used for His purposes and His purposes for His children are ALWAYS good! When we are in those deep valleys, we learn something about God that cannot be learned any other way – we learn about His faithfulness, strength, and provision. Taught not through the pages of a textbook, but through the tears of heartache.
The valley is not forever. The shadow is not forever. “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.” Isaiah 40:4 declares. There WILL be light again. So, while you are in the shadow, turn it into good; become inseparable with your Redeemer by shadowing Him, and trust Him to lead you out the other side.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, even if there is very little Christmas joy this season, I still have something to celebrate. Your nearness in this valley. Your leading, Your protection, and Your faithfulness will never leave me. Thank You for walking this road with me. I love You. In the holy and blessed name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
Action: If this Christmas is a painful one, try flipping the coin to the other side. Shadow Jesus by positioning yourself closer to Him and allowing the Light to saturate you. Spend time alone with Him and pour your heart out to Him. Then read the rest of Psalm 23 and be encouraged that though the valley has come, goodness and mercy are not far behind.
image: freepik.com