Walking in the valley.

There are only a few situations in life where one has an experience that is truly transformative, the circumstances of these experiences vary from person to person but the results stay the same, which are profound. In the last 3-4 years I’ve had what one would call a trans formative experience. It has come through two rather distinct ways, the first being that I have immersed myself in communal living despite great reservations (I’m probably the most introverted person you will ever meet). The second is that I have committed myself to an academic process that has taken all I can give in terms of effort and knowledge, but has totally expanded the way I think about things. Also, it has given me a hunger to learn more and work towards some kind of response to life’s bigger questions. However, as well as these, there were also times of great sorrow, mainly because of the decisions I made, but they were still hard times all the same. But still, these tough times are still as transformative and the good one's because it is in the places that we don't want to go where the meaningful long term changes are made. However, transformative seasons in our lives are only ever temporary, and when I re-visit the place of my most recent one I know that this particular chapter in my life is over, and I’m only left with an abundance of memories which are triggered by the most innocuous of things. But they are all such meaningful memories, that tend to grab me straight away. I can only put this down to the process of coming down from the mountain top experience.

So what happens now it is all over? Well, to avoid living in the past one has to get used to walking in the valley again. For most people the valley consists of daily routine, and issues that come up time and time again. But the valley cannot be a negative thing, it's where all of us spend the majority of our lives, and it still provides opportunities, namely to put what we have learned from the mountain top experiences into action. The valley will also provide suprises along the way, as long as one is open to the work of God in their lives.