"The Valley" (live version) by Ginny Owens
The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear,
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here.
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley if You want me to.
No, I'm not who I was when I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet.
So if all of these trials bring me closer to You,
Then I will walk through the fire if You want me to.
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When You lead me through a world that's not my home.
But You never said it would be easy,
You only said I'd never go alone.
So when the whole world turns against me
and I'm all by myself
and I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
and I will walk through the darkness if You want me to.
(So when I cross over Jordan I'm gonna sing, gonna shout,
gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down.
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You)
and I will walk through the valley if You want me to.
Yes, I will walk through the valley if You want me to.

I was listening to this song today and it really spoke to me... in more ways than one. I've heard the song like a million times, but I needed it today. I came to realize that stuff in my life that discourages me and gets me down at times are potentially things that can draw me closer to God, if I let them. There are "things" in my life right now that, honestly, I'm sick of. It's stuff I've been dealing with for what seems like a long time. When I pray according to how I feel, I tell God that I'm sick of "it," and I'm tired of feeling how I feel, and that if I had Him answer my prayers my way this would all be over and done with. But then I'm reminded of what this song says: sometimes we have to go through suffering because it will bring us closer to God. On the other hand, when I'm reminded of that message, I ask myself how I can even call the situations in my life "suffering" in comparison to what Christ endured. My life is like a walk in the park compared to that. As odd as it may sound, I am often comforted to know the extent of Christ's sufferings (not even including His actual death) such as His friends all turning their backs on Him and rejecting Him. It helps me keep my "suffering" in true perspective. Christ went through far more in His life here than I will probably ever even come close to going through.

"I'm so tired of living for the kind of love that only comes and goes,
but Your love- Your love lasts forever."
-from "Healer" by Ten Shekel Shirt