Of mountain high and valley low

Recently, my husband, Dustin, and I made a flying trip to the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado. From there, we took a car about an hour north to Loveland, where we spent Friday serving alongside a group of incredible people at a Mobile Laundry outreach. A couple months ago, the Lord began stirring my heart about starting a program like this through Everyday Jesus Ministry and so I took to Google to find out if there was anything happening like this and that’s when I discovered this great outreach. So we hopped a plane and were off to serve and learn the ins and outs of mobile laundry. And if you’re wondering. Yes. We loved it and are praying about how to make this a reality in our community.

After serving on Friday, we took off exploring. We headed toward Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado. It was a fun drive into the mountains. The highlight was almost rear ending a moose. Yep, you read that right. We nearly rear-ended the back end of a moose. After avoiding our almost collision with a moose, we traveled up into the mountains, landing at Bear Lake.

Which was frozen and covered in several inches of snow. Neither of us was equipped for that kind of hike, but sporting tennis shoes and a bummed ankle, we went for it, slipping and sliding the whole way.

On Saturday, we headed south to Colorado Springs, where we jumped onto the highway leading up to the famous Pikes Peak. Neither of us had ever been to that high of elevation. The highest being Mount Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii, sitting at 10,023 feet in elevation. By the way, if you’ve never been to Mount Haleakala, I highly recommend it at sunrise. It still ranks number one in our favorite things ever. Anyway, so here we are sitting at a little over 14,000 feet in elevation, a little woozie and hearts racing, I’m guessing borderline elevation sickness. But what a view from the top. We could see for what felt like forever. Purely spectacular.

As I’ve looked back on our mountain adventure this week, there are some things that caught my attention as it relates to mountain tops and our spiritual life. I think we can agree, mountain top experiences are incredible. We love when God is raining blessings, miracles, and all the good stuff from heaven. We enjoy sitting on top of our spiritual mountains, looking down at the poor folks trudging through the valley. Often thinking, Whew, I’m glad I’m up here. Am I right? But here’s what I’ve discovered about mountaintops. The good stuff doesn’t grow there.

There isn’t much there to sustain us. Often no food or water supplies. And wowza! Mountain tops are isolated. It takes a hot minute to climb or drive up a mountain. The only people you find up there are passerbys. Nobody is setting up shop on top of a mountain. Mountaintops are visited, not lived on. But the valley, that’s where sustainability happens. That’s where relationships happen. The valley is where real life happens. The good, the bad, and everything in between. I know you were hoping I’d tell you we are meant to live on a mountain top, but I can’t. And I love the mountain top experiences as much as you. There’s even been a few I’d love to build on. I once found property on a volcano in Hawaii for dirt cheap. It tempted me for sure, but I understood it was not sustainable.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I know that valleys often become dark and hard.

But even in the darkest valley, we have a Good Shepherd who leads, guides, and protects us. A shepherd who promises to be with us always.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.” Psalms 23:1-4 (CSB)

I believe God has some mountains for us to climb, some mountain top adventures to discover. But to get to the mountaintop you must pass through the valley. When you do life with Jesus in the valley, when He becomes all that you need, you will experience some pretty outstanding mountain tops.

But Cassie, you don’t understand what my valley is like. You’re right. I don’t. But I know a guy who does. And not only does He understand what it’s like, He walks with you through it and when you get weary; He leads you to quiet waters. He renews you, protects you, and directs you through the valley. Well, if you’ll let Him.

Friend, the valley can be one of the most beautiful yet painful places to live. But I believe God meets us there.

Many miracles took place on mountain tops all throughout the bible. The mountain top is where God provided a sacrifice in place of Issac, where Elijah called down fire from heaven, Moses received the ten commandments, and Jesus paid the price for our sins. And that’s just a few. The mountain tops are incredible, so please don’t misunderstand my heart here. But in your searching for mountain top experiences, don’t despise the valley. Delight in it. Our God is the same God on the mountain high as He is in the valley low.

Cassie Downs, formerly of the Ellsinore area, is a speaker and the author of Chasing Jesus. Connect with her online at cassiedowns.com. Her book is available online where most books are sold.