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The Fly on the Wheel

It's always intrigued me how polar opposite occurrences can take place at the same time within a particular country.  Currently, there are areas of our nation that are experiencing unprecedented flooding, yet if you travel several hundred miles, you'll find an area that is suffering from a never ending drought.  Some areas will set records for having the warmest temperatures during the winter months while another area will set records for having the coldest winter on the record books.

When I stop to think about it, the same holds true for people.  There will always be someone who is walking at the peak of the mountaintop with amazing things taking place in their life while a friend or family member is struggling in the valley.  Have you heard of things like this happening within your family or circle of friends:
  • Someone gets laid off from their job, yet someone else gets a promotion.
  • Someone is rejoicing over their child's acceptance letter to the college of their choice, yet a friend or family member gets a denial letter in the mail on the same day.
  • A couple is celebrating fifty years of marriage at the same time your marriage is dissolving.
Whenever I was walking through my valley of losing a baby back in the fall, there were eight couples that my husband and I knew via church or family that were walking on the mountaintop because they were experiencing the joys of pregnancy and bringing a new life into the world.  Out of the many "why" questions that I posed to God during that time, probably the one at the top of the list was, "Why do I have to know so many pregnant people right now who are obviously going to get to cradle their baby in their arms?"  I didn't want my circumstances to put a damper on their joy whatsoever, so I had to learn how to grieve in spite of such rejoicing going on around me.

It was during that time that I was bathing myself in the book of Psalms.  The last thing I wanted was to grow bitter towards the people that I dearly loved who were rejoicing in their lives, so I let God's Word mold my thoughts.  There were many, many verses that comforted me and eventually led me out of my valley.  Here are a few of them:

"My comfort in my suffering is this:  Your promise preserves my life."  Psalm 119:50

"He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains."  Psalm 107:14

"When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."  Psalm 94:18-19

"He (she) who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."  Psalm 91:1-2

I'm not sure what your vantage point is right now.  Maybe you're on the mountain peak and you feel that life just couldn't get any better.  Maybe you're in the lowest of lows and feel as if the whole world is rejoicing except for you.  Or, perhaps you're in that very safe place somewhere between the valley and the top of the mountain.  There is one thing for certain.  If you are living and breathing, then you are going to have your fair share of highs and lows.  And, unfortunately while you're experiencing your lot in life, there will always be someone who is at the far opposite end of the spectrum of emotions. 

There's an old saying that goes something like this:

"The wheel goes round and round and the fly on the top will be the fly on the bottom after a while."

If you're on top of the mountaintop (or wheel) right now, just hang on because the day is going to come when that mountaintop view seems so far away.  Likewise, if you're in the valley, don't lose hope.  I promise there will be better days ahead.  No matter where you are, let God be your constant.  If He is your constant while on the top, then it makes those days on the bottom easier to walk through. 

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