Thanking God For The Valley

At the moment I enjoy my sleeping patterns. In the evening my wife and youngest daughter will retire to bed at a relatively early time and being exhausted by events, I won’t have that much stamina to stay up for that much longer and I’m usually gone before 11pm. Almost like clockwork way before 6am the youngest will call for a feed and that will be a call with my name on it, so that gives me plenty of time not only to attend to the youngest, but then to sort out kitchen domestics and then meself out with plenty of time to focus on the day ahead before heading out for work at about 7:30am.

This morning in particular was especially expedient. The feed call came before 5:30am and whilst attending to the kitchen domestics I put on a playlist of some gospel songs (I am a person who enjoys musical background to chores). One of them was a classic Andrae Crouch called ‘(Take A Little Time To Say) Thank You Lord’ from his Live in London album. The lyrical gist of the song surrounds the retelling of the ten lepers who are healed by Jesus with only one returning to say thanks and then relating it to Andrae’s gratitude for key incidents of God’s kindness in his life from salvation to physical healing.

Sometimes there’s a song that will stick in the craw and this was one of those that I had to keep on repeat because of what it triggered. Last night I was in text conversation with a dear friend and he brought up that it was 6 years to the day that Liverpool had won the Champions League. I am, as you should know, a big Liverpool fan and winning the European Champions League is the last great thing the club has won since their reign of dominance in English and European football over the mid ’60’s through the 70’s and 80’s. Something like that should have been a big deal for someone like me, and yet because of that stage in my life’s journey I was hardly around to appreciate it at the time.

I’ve been a ‘professing Christian’ for the majority of my life. In that time I’ve experienced plenty of things that have made me seriously question that professing. At that point six years ago I was in a bad place relationally, emotionally and spiritually. Serious ‘errors of judgement’ had exposed some nasty aspects of my heart and had lead to some grievous consequences. Those impacted my family life and especially had a negative effect on my performances at work. By the time Liverpool were winning the Champions League, I remember missing the match completely being almost completely out of it in terms of functioning properly. It was not long after then that I was relieved of my responsibilities at work and spent almost a year unemployed.

The memories of that time are not pleasant. I am not proud of my behaviour at the time and the hurt it caused those I loved the most. Yet I am tremendously grateful to God for that time. In hindsight that time was crucial for me to brought low to truly understand (or begin to understand) that it’s better to humble yourself rather than be humiliated to appreciate the honour of humility. As a result I always treasure the first beatitude – blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

This was a valley experience from which Jesus miraculously delivered me, restored me to Himself, restored me to my family and those I love the most and established me in what remains the most worthwhile job I’ve done to date working for the YMCA in Stoke-on-Trent. Funnily it was at the YMCA that I made friends with the guy who was celebrating the six year anniversary of Liverpool’s Champions League victory. I would never have made friends with him were it not for that valley experience. It’s no exaggeration to say that I would not be where I am today were it not for that low time in my life.

Also with the funny I always reflect on that Liverpool team that won the Champions League as one of the worst – on paper – to have won the trophy since it existed. The match is known for the team going 3-0 down to a very good AC Milan team by half-team and the majority of people not expecting Liverpool to come back in the match, let alone win the thing. Yet in that marvellous night in Istanbul the team managed to make the greatest comeback in the history of the final and take the game to penalties before winning in dramatic circumstances.

That reminds me of the grace of God in my life through that valley experience – on paper I did not deserve the great things He had given. On paper I really should have been down and out with the pain I had caused by my mistakes. On paper I was in the worst condition. And yet God saw it fit to amazingly turn around the situation and lead me along paths of righteousness for His Name’s Sake and establish me as a winner in life – a winner in having a beautiful wife and enjoying three beautiful daughters. A winner in having good friends with whom I get to share life and help in making me a true follower of Christ. A winner in being gainfully employed in something that helps to change lives for the better. A winner in being gifted to do things like this writing thing. Most of all, however, a real winner and champion of the universe in knowing and being known by Jesus Christ who even in my low condition extends grace and love that restores. Thank God life is not judged or lived on paper.

So like the song I heard whilst doing those kitchen domestics, I just want to take a little time and say Thank You Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd