meek and lowly,
Thou has brought me
to the valley of vision
where I live in the depths
but see thee in the heights
hemmed in by mountains of sin
I behold thy glory
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down
is the way up
that to be low
is to be high
that the broken heart
is the healed heart
that the contrite spirit
is the rejoicing spirit
that the repenting soul
is the victorious soul
that to have nothing
is to possess all
that to bear the cross
is to wear the crown
that to give
is to receive
that the valley
is the place of vision
Lord, in the daytime
stars can be seen from deepest wells
and the deeper the wells
the brighter thy stars shine.
Let me find thy light in my darkness
thy life in my death
thy joy in my sorrow
thy grace in my sin
thy riches in my poverty
thy glory in my valley
Every time I read this I am amazed. Isn't this how life should be? Rejoice when things are great. Rejoice when things suck. Rejoice. Always. Jesus Christ is more than enough. He should be our everything. He should be so much of our everything that when things are good, we are filled; when things are bad, we are filled. When things aren't really great, but aren't terrible either...we are filled. He is more than enough. It's hard being in this country trying to explain Jesus Christ to someone who doesn't speak your language and has never even heard of anything as crazy as someone healing the lame and raising the dead. Let alone the fact that EVERYTHING is backwards in the eyes of this world. The way up is really down. To be low, really means you're high. To have a broken heart is to have a healed heart. A sad spirit is the rejoicing spirit. The repenting soul is the victorious soul. To have nothing is to have everything. To bear the CROSS is to wear the CROWN. To give is to receive. And the deepest valley is the place of vision.
Praise God for that. Praise Him. He has brought me to the valley and I see things clear. The deeper He takes me, the more clearly I see. By the world's standard that seems so stupid. But through the eyes of The Creator, there's nothing that makes more sense. Hallelujah.
"I cannot offer to my God that which has cost me nothing."
Since when has following Christ cost you something? Gary Fujino (a career missionary here that we work with and AMAZING man of Christ we all look up to) asked us last Monday to count the cost. What has this summer cost us? What was it that we sacrificed to come here? For some it was a car to pay for the trip. For others it was a summer away from friends and family they are so incredibly close to. For me...it cost me my life, my comfort zone, a friendship. Sure, I could have stayed home, worked with the youth, worked things out with some friends, and spent the summer under the stars with the man I love.
But God had something bigger. Something better. At first I didn't want to. Reluctantly, I agreed on faith to step out into the unknown. Sure, I had been to Japan before, but it was still completely different. As Father stripped me of my comfort zone He brought me down to the valley. Friendless and alone I stood in the dark and waited. He is ever faithful. He will never leave you. He has stripped me of all that hindered my sight and brought me to the valley. And there in the valley the stars shine so brightly. Brighter than ever before.
Praise God for the valley.
