The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying the in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live? Ezekial 37:1-3
As one matures scripture can resonate in various ways. It may be as if God speaks right into the space of our lives in that exact moment. I live in an small town in Canada, in an amazing community surround by water, parks and vineyards nearby. Nature is a magnificent gift. On one of my early mornings walk I reveled in the beauty of the sights and sounds. The birds fluttering about in tiny groups, leaving one little poor feathery friend trailing behind but then following. Squirrels scurrying up and down the trees and branches then pausing to stare as if asking with their eyes and little clasped hands, for a nut or two. Nature and creatures seem to exist effortlessly. On the water banks as I sat to read today’s reading, I wondered, how souls feel and if their or my valley was full of bones.
Having retired at an earlier age from teaching in elementary school about 6 months ago, it has been a blessing but also an adjustment. From chaos and busyness to stillness and quiet. Almost too quiet. I revel and love new beginnings. Fresh starts. But there were some things in the past weighing on me and I wanted to clear them all up, like chalk on a board. I wanted a new perspective in this new and exhilarating chapter in my life. Life is not that easy. It is human to have doubts, fears, problems, health concerns, worries, broken relationships, lack of forgiveness that takes away from us being our best self. I dwelled on this particular situation and HOW to fix it. I noticed I felt worse. The more I persisted on the HOW parts of my joy and hope were waning. That wasn’t my nature at all. I knew for a fact this wasn’t God speaking into my life. I rejected it profusely. It can be human kindness to have a desire to fix things with hopes to bring happiness. The reality is the more we let go and let God, the more we become whole. The valley can be a place to heal and grow. In the valley we can prosper and change forever.
A huge shift happened when I wholeheartedly prayed, “I’m tired of this same issue. I give it to you. My mind, heart and soul, I offer to you God.” God did not come in the wild wind or chaotic storm or tumultuous earthquake, as scripture puts forth. He whispered in a gentle still voice, Remember WHO you are. The valley is abundant. Ezekial finds himself standing in the valley filled with scattered, baked, completely lifeless bones. God looks at the hopeless graveyard and asks a jarring question: ‘Can these bones live?’. We have to be vigilant and strive constantly for that which is life-giving. At times we can feel we are standing the valley with no vineyard in sight. There were parts in me like all of us, that need to heal by God. I stood in the valley of bones trying to make sense in the dryness that tries to steal love, instead of walking in God’s light and love. It doesn’t work. God whispered, Don’t give up on them, be a light. God’s grace took center stage in my heart. It was as if God erased the unhealthy thoughts and in huge letters wrote LOVE on the chalkboard in the school of learning. God is love. I focused deeper on WHO God is, not on the ‘how’. The ‘how’ became insignificant and unimportant. I knew God had it all in the palm of His hands, so I had nothing to worry about. He forgave us for all our sins. We may try to justify ourselves or have our say, but LOVE is the only answer.
If something is weighing on your heart, I hope you give it God. His understanding and wisdom are beyond our comprehension. If you are dealing with burnout, lack of faith, worry or feelings of lonliness or emptiness, I hope the valley becomes a place of refreshment and renewal in spirit. If you are in the valley, I hope it’s a place to quiet the mind, be still and listen to God. I hope you allow God to restore. I hope that if you are standing at the crossroad of life, you embrace it with courage and love. I hope you are brave enough to take a closer look at places that may have been overlooked or neglected. I hope you can be honest, rest your body, cut out the noise, feed on scripture and be THANKFUL!
God says we are created in His image. We have to condition ourselves to listen to His voice in us. My journey continues in knowing our identity in our creator.
Peace and Blessings,
Claudia
Ournourishedsoul