“What’s in a name?”

Juliet asks that famous question and goes on to declare, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Through the ill-fated love of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare purports that a name carries great significance. 

In Scripture, we consistently discover the importance of names. Beginning with Adam and Eve—Adam, from the Hebrew “man,” who is created from the dust of the earth, and Eve, “the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20)—we see that names carry weight. In Gen. 17:4-5, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and He does it with a promise. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” God gives Jesus “the name that is above every name,” as Paul tells us in Phil. 2:9.  Jesus’ name means “God saves.” As the angel reveals to Joseph in Mt. 1:21, Mary “will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Names matter.

That is why I want to tell you about the name of this blog. Valleys and mountains. To be clear, the meaning behind the name I chose is thoroughly inconsequential when considering the majesty of God and the names that He chooses! However, He is my inspiration, so allow me to share the stories behind this particular name.

I love writing. Always have. I started my first diary when I was a young girl. It was fully equipped with a lock and key, a feature that I am pretty sure did absolutely nothing to safeguard my words from prying eyes. If ever eyes did pry, I am still unaware!

Several decades later, I am at the beginning of a writing career. What did the Lord use to catapult me into writing my first book? A valley that I traversed several years ago. That valley was dark, and it seemed endless. I felt trapped, but in the pit, God comforted me through the words of Psalm 23, and He inspired me to put pen to paper.

Verse 4 of Psalm 23 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” Where does the psalmist walk? Does he park it in the valley and set up camp there, wallowing in the fear of the unknown? No! He walks through the valley, and God accompanies him. The Lord is the reason he can put one foot in front of the other.

When I was in my valley, I focused on that word through and trusted in the promise that God is always with me. The traveling was still wrought with hardship and pain. I cried. I was tempted to despair, and I often felt lost. Unlike the psalmist, I did fear. At times, I felt empty and alone. Even though I felt alone, that was never the reality. God was with me every, single step of the way. One day, I finally stood on the other side of that valley. As I gazed back, I knew He had done a mighty work in me, and I praised Him.

The Lord is with us in the valleys.

He is also with us on the mountains—literally. When I was 16, I had the privilege of visiting the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana with my church youth group. Motivation for that trip was certainly a mixed bag—social time with my friends (including a couple of cute boys!), a longing for independence from my parents, and a sincere interest in the diversity and history of our country that was coupled with the altruistic desire to help others.

I had many expectations for that trip, but one thing my teenage self did not foresee happening was my encounter with God.

We had a free day during which our courageous chaperones took us to Glacier National Park. The sheer splendor of the mountains took my breath away. We hiked all morning to reach the top of one, and as my friends and I took in the glory around us, I wandered off a bit from the group, contemplating the vastness of our world, the smallness of myself, and the wonder of the stunning sights that filled my field of vision.

Suddenly I noticed a rainbow in the distance that seemed to be hovering in the sky between several peaks. My heart leapt in awe, and I knew with a rush of certainty that God existed and He created everything magnificent in the world. I was entirely ignorant of the Biblical significance of the rainbow at that time, but I truly believed God gave it to me as a sign. I could not tell you then what had happened to me, but I can tell you now that it was the Holy Spirit speaking to a longing I had deep inside, a longing for more than what this world has to offer. He promised me that He is real and He is with me.

I wish I could say that my life instantly turned around and I followed the Lord heart and soul in that moment, and that I lived a life entirely marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22), but that is not my story. I had much to learn, especially over the next five years of my life. Truth be told, I am still learning and will be until the day I die. I am a sinner, and I had to learn what that meant. God was kind to me, He took His time with me and gently led me to Himself. In every rebellion, I was reminded of that mountaintop revelation.

God is with me. He is with you. He is there in the valleys and mountains and wherever we roam. I will be exploring this truth here, walking us through scripture and sharing real stories of God’s presence. I hope you will join me again! My prayer is that you will discover or be reminded that through Jesus you are known, loved and free!

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

-Phil. 2:9-11