Peaks and Valleys

Have you ever been so excited for change only for it to come crashing down shortly after?  I have written about this before but I’m in one of those seasons currently.  

I had been somewhat coasting for a while.  I was not pushing myself to be better each day, I had slacked off from doing things that help me be better, and it caused me to drop the ball on some challenges I was presented with.  It was nothing really major, but it hurt knowing I should be better than that.  I have been working towards being the person I want to be, and I let myself down. 

The challenge was something simple.  Reading a certain scripture aloud everyday as a declaration over my life and I let myself quit after 4 days.  Like I said the challenge was not a big deal or even anything hard, but it exposed a big weakness in myself.  Something I have struggled with all my life. 

I let the valleys keep me from the peaks.  Looking back over my life, I can see myself repeating that pattern over and over.  The big question is why.  If you would have asked me that a few years ago I would have probably said it was bad luck or made some excuse that was probably something that didn’t even make sense to anyone but myself. 

I see things differently now.  I have allowed that to happen because I am a weak man.  I may physically be big and strong, but when it comes to spiritual things, I am incredibly weak. 

Working through learning my identity and my assignment from a biblical perspective has been working on me these past few weeks.  What comes next is action, or in my case, apathy.  I have had the mindset that doing no wrong was doing good.  While from a legal standpoint that’s correct.  From a moral and spiritual standpoint, I couldn’t be farther from the truth.  I have failed to lead my family spiritually, I have not been the practical leader of my home, I have not focused on the truly important things in life as I should have.  

I see the peaks and valleys from a new perspective lately.  I see them directly correlate to my walk as being a man being judged by the standards of biblical manhood.  When things were going well, I was also doing good things on the biblical side, on the other hand when I got comfortable and let things slide, everything comes crashing down. 

So, this past week. I recognize where I have fallen short, and I have no one to blame but myself.  The good thing is, I know how to get back up to the peaks now.  Do you?

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Philippians 3:12-14 NLT