There have been a lot of things lately that have made me realize that my life is really like a stage.
For a long time, life was a mystery to me. It still is very much so. There are a lot of things that occur in it that don't make sense to me and probably never will until it's over. But as my perspective has changed over the years and I understand the concept of my existence more, life makes more sense.
I'll first say that in my eyes, existence and life on earth are two different things. Life on earth will not go on forever, but my existence will. So it really makes sense that life is like a stage, on which the contents of my heart are played out and made transparent, and then worked on until they are just the way they need to be. And like most activities done on stage, at some point my life on earth will come to an end, at which time, I will be critiqued. Only unlike a performance, in the real thing the opinion of only one Judge will matter. And the point of life is to have what I do on the stage be pleasing to Him.
So you know how in plays or in a movie, there are those parts when everyone is drawn in and absorbed in the storyline? Usually I'm drawn into moments that best display the character of the character(s). I guess it's those moments, all summed up, that make the whole story.
I think life has those moments too. Sometimes I have the privilege of watching those moments in other people's lives and even more rarely, I can see them in my own life. I think, no, I know that in real life, those moments occur in what has been referred to as "the valley of the shadow of death". I could probably go into a whole little Bible study on Psalm 23 right now but I'll try and stick to my point. . . Basically, I'm realizing some things about the valley of the shadow of death.
1. Those green pastures from verse 2 of Psalm 23. . . where they were located? Maybe the valley of the shadow of death? Or maybe you have to go through it to get to them? Pretty likely.
2. Not to make light of the fact that it is the valley of the shadow of death and it's not a fun place to be, but the shadow of death is just that- a shadow. A shadow can be scary but a shadow itself holds no threat.
3. (and my main point) It's in the valley that who we are is displayed. God is always looking at the heart, but the valley is where how we really feel about Him comes out. We've all heard the phrase "a friend in need is a friend indeed" and that's sort of the point I'm getting to here.
If we were always surrounded by pleasant things, it would make sense that we would respond in a pleasant manner. But if, when we are surrounded by dark shadows of death, we still respond with love, the Lord is delighted.
He is concerned with the state of my heart and the state of my heart is expressed through my responses. I have realized that if I truly love Him, I will be willing to do whatever brings those responses that show it. I will climb on stage and do what it takes to prove my faith which in His sight is precious. I don't want to feel sorry for myself in the valley of the shadow of death anymore. It's actually my honor.