DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – (Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson)

THE STORY:

You ever have those days when nothing goes your way? Forgetting everything important that you were supposed to do five minutes ago? Everything making you angry that shouldn’t at all on a normal day? And catching every red light in the middle of it all? That was my day about a month ago…

I have said this before but my long-term memory is really good, I have just been blessed to remember things of the past…BUT my short-term memory is the worst! So bad that sometimes I can literally meet someone in a group setting, they will tell me their name, and two seconds later I have no idea who I am talking too…(has that ever happened to anyone else??) It’s the same way with important dates and appointments I make. Sometimes I just forget things and it is frustrating. My mom and dad have always begged me to just go buy a daily planner and just simply write things down. I have stacks of them…all blank. But even with smartphones and apps and everything else that annoyingly notifies me all day long I still don’t use them properly. Well what about God’s plan? His daily planner has to be huge right!? Sometimes what we think is important on a daily basis may not be what God has written down in His planner for you that day.

So the day I had about a month ago… Even people at work were asking me if things were ok…I’m usually always in a great mood and always smiling, so when something was off that day everyone could tell! I was trying to fit about 5 different errands on my lunch break and my last stop before heading back to work was the bank…the bank…(we all know how long this can take). So getting out the car I just sort of said God just help me. And honestly I feel like I almost said it in the wrong way too. Do you ever do that? Well I open the door to the bank and see the line to where I was and just shook my head in disbelief. But I filled out my deposit slip and eased in the back of the line. I remember thinking as I was standing in line about everything…(I was thinking why do I never listen to people that want to help me? Why do I never write things down? Why was I letting all of today’s events get me down and in a bad mood? And how long have I even been acting like this? Can people in this line tell?) And then after staring at my deposit slip in a regretful thought-like trance, I looked up directly to the person standing in front of me and the rest of my day changed completely…It was a little old lady…and I am staring at the back of her t-shirt that read, in big bold letters almost screaming at me, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” And then she kind of slightly turns back to me as if she can weirdly hear me reading it in my head and she says “Hello there…” and I kind of look down real quick and say “Hey hows it going” under my breath. Immediately she just starts talking to me and says, “Oh I just hope the bank doesn’t get angry with me…I’ve been saving my change up for years for my grandchildren and I came to ask them if i can bring it in…”

THE QUESTION:

How long are you going to stay down in your valley? How many times are you going to let things that you cannot control try to keep you down and bring others down in the process? Do you ask for help when you have a mountain in your life that is standing in your way? When we feel low down…when we feel like we are in trouble…it almost feels like we have run out of love, right? We start to feel alone and maybe scared…so what’s your next move? People always say God is always with you…but where is the proof? Let’s get out of our valley together today and find it…

THE ANSWER:

“Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough baby. If you need me call me no matter where you are, no matter how far; don’t worry baby. Just call my name; I’ll be there in a hurry, you don’t have to worry…”

Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson were a real-life husband-and-wife songwriting team and recording artists. They met each other at Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church in 1964…Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was written in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label and was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by artists Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Their hit was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970 for three weeks. Nick Ashford said he was inspired by an experience when he first moved to New York…He said he was walking down a Manhattan thoroughfare, and determined that New York City would not get the best of him; and the words “Ain’t no mountain high enough” just popped into his head…

Zephaniah 3:17 | The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.

Well that really just answers every single question from the question section!

But let’s talk about it…

My day at the bank…God quieted me quickly by His love from that little old lady at the bank. I remember thinking how could the bank get mad at this lady…she’s awesome…She had been taking her time (for a long time I’m sure) and saving out of love for for her grandchildren. Her daily planner had the right plan on it…and I think God’s planner had the two of us running into each other! And me…I had been running around all day, being short with everyone, being upset with myself, and this moment just made me realize….I was stuck down in a valley…and it’s easy for us to get down in our valleys. I was far from any mountain top…but ain’t no mountain high enough to separate you from God’s love right? We face mountains on the daily…we just need to realize that it’s ok, that God is in our midst at all times. We just need to call on Him for help! He can move mountains! And I love this song too…I think everyone does! And you know I realize this is not an all out spiritual song, it’s more of a love song really, but it is about love and obstacles in life and throughout this blog I have tried to show that you don’t have to worship God through Christian music alone. But many people believe that you do…In fact, if you want me to be honest I experience more of God through music like I have posted in my blog. May not be the same for everyone but the reason for me is because I don’t think I can ever put my God in a box or a cage. We often hear how God can use anything and everything and I believe that. I believe God knows your heart completely inside and out…and if you want to honor Him through some good ole “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” well I believe He will see that…so don’t be afraid to turn this one up today!

I was feeling low down at the bank but God was telling me that my day was not the end of the world. I just needed to check my attitude at the door…recheck my faith…and get up out of the valley. Maybe our daily planners need some adjusting…so remember to just slow down in this world where everything seems to be move so fast…Our mountains may be big or even smaller than others, but the one thing we have to do together is get out of the valley and get over those mountains. God wants to help us! He can carry us on our way! There ain’t no mountain high enough to keep us from His = LOVE. Nothing is impossible…

Isaiah 55:8-9

(Listen below to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough performed by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)

(Feature post photo by José Martín)

If you are just joining Ten Days In Love and missed any previous posts click the links below:

#1 – MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

#2 – WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

#3 – 1 MILLIMETER

#4 – IRON MAN

#5 – ANGEL TOWN USA

#6 – TIME TO GIVE UP

#7 – POPULATION: 2

#8 – THE WALKING DEAD

#9 – HIGHWAY 9 LIVES

#10 – PUSH TO PRAY

#11 – THE FENCES

#12 – SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN

#13 – THE LOOKING GLASS

#14 – DELTA DIVINE

#15 – THE PASSENGER

#16 – EYES ON THE PRIZE

#17 – NUMBERS OF VALUE

#18 – THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

#19 – PERFECT PRESSURE

#20 – DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

#21 – A HEART IN THE HAVEN

#22 – THE RIPPLE EFFECT

#23 – MORE THAN CONQUERORS

#24 – RED LIGHT. GREEN LIGHT.

#25 – NO RHYME MORE REASON

#26 – SHELF LIFE

#27 – DESTINATION: HOME

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