"Hope in the Valley" by Karen Trischler
“Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:13b–15, NIV).
Wisdom is certainly something for which we should all strive. I have had a wonderful example of wisdom in my mother, and after recent conversations, I now know that many of her wise words were actually “whispers from God.” I have strived for wisdom throughout my adult years, and I am proud to say that I have experienced some moments of real wisdom. I only have to look at my children to see evidence of a “good life” with “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
However, in this current season of my life, I am far from the wisdom of which James speaks in chapter three. The nudge that God is giving me through this scripture passage is unmistakable as I think back on my own 2020: my dad’s diagnosis in February of terminal cancer, the death of Steve’s nephew in September, the death of my uncle in October, the uncertainty of whether Dad will see 2021, and the need to help Mom with making difficult decisions and living during Dad’s final chapter. I am bitter, I am envious, and these feelings do not “come down from heaven” but are “earthly, unspiritual,” and “demonic.”
Have I become the “evil” described in this text? Perhaps, but I am not a lost cause. With God’s patient help and guidance, I will rebound to a new place—unknown to me at this time. Of that, I am sure. In the meantime, I am living in the valley of the shadow of death, but there is hope. Off in the distance, beyond the deepest part of the valley I have yet to traverse, there will be peace again. I am powerless to create that peace on my own, but one day I will discover that I feel a new kind of peace, and with that peace, maybe some wisdom will return as well. There is always hope.
Karen Trischler