It's in the Valleys I Grow

A friend of mine has this on the wall in her laundry.  It has really encouraged me each time I've been to her house, especially this year of which the majority has been spent in the valley:


Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow and woe.
It's then I have to remember,
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top,
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love,
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn,
And my growth is very slow.
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand,
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing,
When I picture Christ on the cross;
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining,
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder,
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord,
And use my life each day,
To share Your love with others,
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord,
For this one thing I know,
The mountain tops are glorious,
But it's in the valleys I grow!

By Jane Eggleston.  Online here.