I recently purchased a gun..yes, a real one..at my husband’s urging.  We’re not survivalists, or gun fanatics, and I don’t particularly worry about my safety on a regular basis.  However, the reality is that no matter how friendly my little city might be, there are still drugs, crime, and wrongdoers in it, and the older I get the more I realize I just might need help one day other than my own strength.

So, I got a gun, and we both began the process of being legal carriers a couple of weeks ago.  Forms, signatures, more forms, and serious application fees(!) later, we were ready for the final step…fingerprinting.  We drove over to the Sheriff’s office and got started.  Now the only other time I ever got fingerprinted it was the old fashioned way with ink and papertowels.  I was in for a very pleasant surprise this time, however, because it’s all computerized, of course!  Now I am sure the deputy doing mine has done fingerprinting thousands of times, and could do it in his sleep.  AND his “customers” are usually a lot less enthusiastic about the process!  But I was totally captivated as we went through it.  

One by one I watched as all these unique designs showed up on the computer screen and was in awe at how different they were.  Each finger, both palms, whole hand…it was amazing.  When we were done, he printed out a sheet with all the prints for me to sign.  Before I signed, I looked at it and just had a moment.  I have never owned any highly valued paintings, or works of art, and I wouldn’t know a $50,000 sculpture from a $5 one.  But there!  There in front of me, on some ordinary glossy photo paper, was a priceless masterpiece – my fingerprints! Or I should say Masterpiece…because 56 years ago the Master Artist created it!

I know in any kind of collecting, there is always the chase for that rare item.  Whatever the collection, there is always that first edition, misprinted stamp, speciality 1of 1 issue, etc that brings the highest price and is the most sought after.  I love watching shows about the hunt for those treasures, and rejoice with the finders when one is discovered.   Then when they find out the value of the piece, I am often overwhelmed at the thought that one item could be worth that much, and wonder what it would be like to own something that great.

AND YET!  The minute I have those feelings, I am overlooking a great truth..that I don’t have to own one of those, I AM one!  God, the Father and Creator of all things, took a moment in time and uniquely and wonderfully created me, and there is literally no one else like me.  This world we live in tries SO hard to keep me from believing that.  There are rules that we follow (most of which are good), standards we live by, and uniforms/dress codes that we wear and follow, and these are good.  But the enemy takes those things and says, “you’re no big deal, look around you, everybody’s the same.”  There’s also the pressure cooker of peer pressure and expectation -you must eat this, wear this, do this, drive this, and like this to be accepted – and it starts working on us as children and doesn’t let up until we die.  There is usually no allowance made for different.

AND YET!  As I looked at my fingerprints, I was overwhelmed by the love of God and His voice saying, “Look at you!!  Look at those fingerprints that are unlike ANY other set of fingerprints IN THE WORLD!”  I stopped and thought about the fact that if I had been standing in a room of even 10,000 people or more, I would have in my hands a one of a kind treasure!

With my mind blown at this thought, God also reminded me of my worth.  I am worth SO much that His Son DIED for me. Died.  And rose again to give me new life!  AND if I had been the only person that ever lived, He still would have done it! THAT is what treasure means!  THAT is why He made us the way He did, so that every time we are down, every time we feel worthless or hopeless, we can look at our hands and go Wow!  Look how unique I am!  And then, we can look at another set of hands -his hands – and see the value we have by HIS scars in His hands…scars that prove we are priceless in His eyes, and that as long as we are here, He has a plan and purpose for us!  

Need encouragement today?  Go wash your hands!  Go USE your hands!  And let His love wash fresh over you!

There is one topic you can count on in church or conversations with other Christians..it’s the whole “mountain top vs. valley” subject.  You know what I mean..”that was a mountain top experience!!” from someone coming back from a retreat, conference, etc.  Or there is the “she’s in such a deep valley right now”.  Or the overused sermon cliche, “mountain tops are wonderful, but God speaks clearest in the valleys”.  All of these are true, and valid reference points for things going on in spiritual lives, or for things we are facing.

HOWEVER!  We have overlooked a major thought in these ideas.  Unless you are in a helicopter, you aren’t instantly transported from the valley straight up to the top or vice versa!  There’s an awful lot of traveling in between, and I believe we are missing a great truth in blipping over that, both in our lives and in our testimonies.  We all KNOW life is not just about one extreme or the other, we just don’t acknowledge it very much.  After all, when’s the last time you heard someone step up to the microphone in a service and said “I just want to PRAISE God tonight because I am 2/3 of th way to the mountain top!”  Or heard someone else say “I’m sliding towards that valley and I can’t wait to get to the bottom to hear God better!”  The answer is not too often, or never.  And that’s a shame.

Robert and I are currently in a state park in the foothills of Alabama.  That’s right, I said foothills..because they are!  The altitude at the top is around 2,400 feet above sea level.  Now Robert and I have lived beside the biggest mountains, the Colorado Rockies, where the average altitude is 11,000-14,000…those are mountains!  And we love going tp the Blue Ridge mountains in our state, whose tallest mountain is 6,300 feet above sea level.  So we know mountains by personal experience.  

And guess what??  It doesn’t matter which size you are on top of..the scenery is always spectacular!  You see, even the foothill view elevates you enough to give you a better view of the world, and it’s usually breathtaking.  Even at the top of the foothills here, Robert can look doen at a lake that looks so far away, and tell me that 30 minutes we were driving right past it!  Really??  I am fascinated by that ability to see exactly where I have just been, and look up to see there’s even still just a bit higher I can go.  So we stop, and relax, and admire the view from where we are.  In spiritual terms, those foothill views represent breaking a habit..or witnessing to a friend..or finally having your quiet time regularly.  These are important, and should be noted!  Not to stop climbing, or think  you have arrived, but to acknowledge success and relax for a moment.

The same is true for the valley.  The distance from the top of the foothill we are on is 2,400 feet.  In spiritual terms, that’s equivalent to a small setback.  A difficult job, or stress at work, a finacial setback, or maybe a relapse into a sin.  The key here is looking up, always.  But the other key is this:  measure that valley!  You may only be really looking at having to climb a spiritual foothill..not a mountain!!  I know have several friends who have lost family members..that is a valley.  I also have a friend losing the battle with cancer..big valley too.  So when in a fairly shallow valley, it is ALWAYS appropriate to take stock, and acknowledge where you ate, and where you could be.

Everyone praises the one who has mountain top or valley faith.  But the real warriors, the real victory, comes in the foothills!!  So gather up your foothill faith and march on!