God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.

Life is hard. I don’t think God intends for it to be any other way. Sometimes we cry, and cry a lot, and that can be very good.

Some years ago I was blessed to go on a vacation to Banff Canada. It is a gorgeous place in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. God taught me a life lesson in Banff using those beautiful mountains and valleys.

When you are in the valleys the mountains look soooooo high. I was quite surprised to learn that they are not, by any means, the highest in the Rocky Mountain range. However, the valleys are the lowest in the Rocky Mountains, so the difference in altitude is the greatest in all of the Rockies. That difference in altitude is so beautiful. The valleys are so green and the river is full and clean and icey cold. When you are in the valleys the snow covered peaks are amazing, and when you are high in the mountains the valleys are spectacular.

That is how God wants our lives to be. We can’t appreciate the mountain peaks of life if we are never in the valleys. The valleys of life with their river of tears give us perspective and make our life, and our faith, truly beautiful. If we ourselves don’t spend time in the valleys, we can’t help other through them, and honestly, the deepest valleys add the most beauty. The valleys of life make us deep and thoughtful people. I know they aren’t fun when we are crying our way through them, but God will wipe our tears and lead us to laughter on the mountain tops again.

Lord, give me the courage to follow you through the valleys and let me look at them from on high some day with you and see their spectacular beauty.

I will.

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