Quite a few years ago I went to a Church Conference with my good friend Michele. While we were there a woman gave a devotional at the start of a meeting and she read this poem. The message really struck me and has stayed with me for a long time.

If we didn’t have hard times, we wouldn’t learn how to trust the Lord.

It’s In The Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble, 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 Janet Eggleston