Deeper - Part 3 - The fruit is in the valley

“Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.” Billy Graham

This may be my favorite quote from Billy Graham. It captures the essence of the topic of this blog which the author of Deeper calls “self-despair.” I know that doesn’t sound like a very enticing subject but take a closer look and you will come to understand and appreciate its great value.

Sometimes the “valleys” in our life occur because of our own doing. Other times there are circumstances beyond our control that put us there. In either case, we do not choose to be in the valley. However, the valley can be the most fruitful time of growth in our lives. It is there that we learn to become more dependent upon God. As the quote says, everyone loves the view from the top of the mountain but that is not where true growth occurs.

In trying to understand the concept of “self-despair,” we must first realize that this is basically an understanding and acceptance of our true fallen position as sinners. It is the full realization that we are at the complete mercy of God for salvation. Nothing that we do gives us the ability to earn it. We are depraved and unholy beings. This may sound somewhat defeatist but we truly have nothing without Christ. The fullness of Christ can only be experienced after the emptiness of despair. Think of it like the Prodigal Son who hit rock bottom after he was given complete freedom and then experienced the immense joy of being welcomed back into the fold by his father.

To get to a place of self-despair, we must learn that we cannot construct our entire lives around the throne of self. Dying to self is part of our faith journey. It is a valley that we must walk thru to come to a place of spiritual health. Jesus pointed this out to the Church at Laodicea in Rev. 3:17:

“You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, poor, pitiable, blind and naked.”

As we mature in Christ, we gain in awareness of our own sin. The closer that we get to God, the more we can see our own flaws. It seems counter-intuitive because we might be sinning less but our awareness of our sin is heightened. Our growth allows us to see the purity and holiness of God which, in contrast, humbles us. Pride is a sign of spiritual immaturity that chokes out growth while humility provides fertile ground for growth.

Self-despair is not a destination or a place to dwell. It is a stop along the way to spiritual growth that cannot be bypassed. We must go there but we don’t need to reside there. What we find is a place of honesty and realness with ourselves. We are also met there by Christ who extends His goodness to us. We accept His goodness knowing that we don’t have it ourselves.

The only sin Jesus ever had was ours. The only righteousness we will ever have is His. A.W. Tozer

This is a path we must take in order to live victorious Christian lives. The acknowledgement of defeat leads us to victory.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6