Thrive in the Shadows

I am thrilled to share my little piece of the World Wide Web with Ronne Rock today. She is a stronghold of hope in the midst of this crazy life. As part of my ongoing series on THRIVE, Ronne is sharing her thoughts on what it means to be fully alive in the shadows.

 I am alive.

No. There is another word. One that reaches more deeply into the context of my heart and soul, one that says “there is more to you than oxygen and blood coursing through veins.”

I thrive.

I am fully alive – fruitful in season and out of season, in bright and dark times, to be content in the now while continuing to look expectantly to the not yet.

I am not waiting for a day, longing for a future. For I have found the place where life finds its true life. I am walking in the valley where death’s shadow lingers long, and I thrive here.

The shadow has been there from the beginning, from the moment mankind fell and the world became littered with sin, and death became as much of a reality as life.

Words like kill, steal, and destroy joined our vocabulary – words Jesus himself used to describe the father of lies, the enemy, Satan.

If we live and breathe, we walk through this valley. There is no escaping it. There is no ignoring the shadows or willing them away.

For every “Look how good God is” moment in our lives, there will be a “where is God in all this?” moment that will cause war to rage between our trust in Him and the doubt we feel.

The voice in the shadows speak – and this is what it says:

“God just simply doesn’t love you as much.” And if we listen, that voice affects us. It causes us to believe that we are not enough for God or that God is not enough for us. That either we need to prove our value to Him, or that He needs to prove His worth to us. That God is either too busy, or too forgetful, or self-serving.

It fuels us with jealousy and envy – or guilt and remorse. It pushes us to build our own kingdoms or destroy the kingdoms of others – to become the ones who steal and kill and destroy others, or ourselves.

So is there any hope for us in the valley? Where does thriving exist in such a hard place?

In the same way I know the valley is real, I also know this:

Sovereign God is there – not too busy, not too forgetful, not too self-serving. He is there, in the midst of the war that rages, making everything purposeful. He is there, in the valley, making a way for us to not only live but live fully.

Because the valley is also full of what is needed for life. The sun breaks the shadows and the ground becomes lush and green. A dear friend introduced me to this passage from Michael Leunig in his book The Prayer Tree, and it describes what I believe to be the key to thriving:

“The tree sends it roots beneath the surface, seeking nourishment in the dark soil: the rich ‘broken down’ matter of life. As they reach down and search, the roots hold the tree firmly to the earth. Thus held and nourished, the tree grows upwards into the light, drinking the sun and air and expressing its truth: its branches and foliage, its flowers and fruit. Life swarms around and into it. Birds and insects teem within its embrace, carrying pollen and seed. They nest and breed and sing and buzz. They glorify the creation.”

I can only thrive if my roots are willing to go deep, finding redemption in the most broken-down parts of life. That redemption is made evident in how I respond – in how I reach up and out in gratitude and humility, understanding my purpose, my place, and my source of strength.

And that willingness begins in the valley. The same valley where deaths shadow lingers long and the ground becomes lush and green with the breaking of the dawn. As I allow my roots to draw in the cast of the shadow, so shall my arms stretch beyond the shadow to the sun.

The roots nourish faith – faith that transforms “whys” into “thankful fors,” faith that keeps me from wallowing in woundedness or marching in militance.

And faith yields hope – hope that allows God to make each moment in my life purposeful, to sing out in confidence, “You are my God and You love me completely and FULLY.”

And I thrive.

 

Ronne Rock finds joy in helping people discover their story. She shares her marketing prowess with businesses and faith-based organizations, and pours into the lives of others through teaching and losing herself in stories of redemption – finding her own redemption in the process. She is hopelessly addicted to Hope, a painter of words, a believer in kitchen therapy, and a collector of adventures with those she loves.

Ronne lives in the Texas Hill Country with her husband Brad, their son, daughter-in-love, and beautiful grandkids. She considers home to be anywhere her heart finds its beat. You can find Ronne online at her blog, her website, on Twitter, and on Instagram.