X
Sign up for my FREE email series - "Intro to the Faith & Health Link"
Learn More Here

Faith and Health Connection

  • Home
  • About
  • Faith & Health
  • Scriptures
  • Church Health
  • Services
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Health Coaching
  • Bible Study – Self Paced

The Valleys and Mountaintops of Life – Your Faith and The Tour de France – Psalm 23:4

July 21, 2011 By Dale Fletcher Leave a Comment

Stage 18 Tour de France 2011Annually, I enjoy watching a few stages of the Tour de France, especially the stages that are held in the Alps. The scenery is magnificent and the athleticism required to complete these mountain stages is phenomenal.

Today’s 200.5 kilometer-long 18th stage will end on the highest-ever mountaintop finish.  The Col du Galibier sits at 2645 meters above sea level. The total distance of the last mountain climb is 23 kilometers and the last part of the climb is 8.5 km long at an average gradient of 6.9% (height gain: 585 m) with a maximum of 12.1% at the summit.

I can not imagine cycling up this mountain. I can not imagine the level of fitness and mental toughness that is required to endure the pain these riders must experience.

As you look at the profile of this stage – the up and down nature of the route – you can make the analogy that it’s like the ups and downs that life brings. Sometimes we are on our mountaintops and sometimes we are in the valleys. The ease of the cyclist’s valleys are like our mountaintops and the difficulty of their mountaintops are like the challenging aspects of the valleys of our lives. When we are on our mountaintops, things are grand.  When we are in our valleys, life can be tough.

The key is how we handle our valleys.

stage 18 profile of 2011 Tour de FranceHow do you react to the adversities that put you in your valleys? You have a choice as to how you respond.  I am coming to appreciate the significance of this and that how I choose to react makes all the difference in the world.

The Bible is full of reminders as to the nature of God and his love, power and steadfastness. Because we have God in our life, we can be assured that he will comfort us when we are in our deep valleys. Let’s look at part of Psalm 23.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Sometimes we may feel distressed and troubled over our life circumstances.  God wants us to know that we are not alone though. He wants us to look into his perfect Word to be reminded of his nature and to guide us.

“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight. Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.” Psalm 119:143-144

The attitude we have when we are in the trials and valleys of our life will make all the difference in the world.  We can be anxious and all stressed out or we can be trusting and at peace. A chronic state on anxiety can cause a host of health issues. A state of inner peace is conducive to good health.

You can choose to be reminded of the nature of God and look into his Word to find scriptures that point to Him.  Or, you can try to cope with your valleys on your own in your own strength and in your own ways. It’s a matter of choice.  The resulting attitude and behaviors that follow will be based on your choice.

Questions to Reflect On:

When you are headed into a valley or are in the midst of a valley, what attitude to you choose to have? Do you routinely choose to turn more deeply to God or do you routinely leave him out of the picture?

If you do turn to God, do you include looking into scripture to be reminded of his nature and promises?

More Reading Related to Life and the Tour de France

Blog Post – A Strategy for the Tour de France and Life

Share with your friends . . . . . .Buffer this page
Buffer
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest

Filed Under: Weekly Health Devotional Tagged With: faith, fitness, God, sports, trials

FREE Email Series

Want to understand the link between spirituality and your health?

VISIT THIS PAGE to learn about my FREE email series.

---

Receive My New Blog Posts in Your Inbox

Join the Conversation Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

connect with us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Translate to A Different Language

Learn & Grow

WorkshopBible StudyIntro Series

Get Blog Post Updates

Receive My New Blog Posts in Your Inbox
Loading

Blog Post Topics

affirmations behavior change Bible and Health Easter eternal life Exercise faith Faith and Health fitness food forgiveness Freedom God Healing Health health care heart Holy Spirit hope Jesus joy Life love mind body spirit obedience obesity peace power prayer relationships running scripture sin spiritual exercises spirituality and health strength stress The Bible the research thinking trust Twitter weight loss wellness wholeness

NEWSLETTER

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the article: "Understanding the Connection Between Spirituality and Health"

PathWay 2 Wholeness

Health-Bible-Study

This life transforming program 'connects the dots' between biblical principles and whole-person health.

About the Ministry

  • Mission, Vision, Beliefs
  • Statement of Faith
  • Dale Fletcher, Executive Director
  • Services
  • Newsletter Options

Become a Christian Life Coach

Life-Coach-training

Become a certified life coach. Read all about Christian Life Coach training at Christian Coach Institute.

Introduction to Faith & Health

Learn how faith and health are linked. Sign up for a FREE series of emails.

Join our online community

Network, share ideas & receive encouragement.

tweets of encouragement

  • Research shows that there is an association between the decline in attendance at religious services in the U.S. cor… https://t.co/R0IS8lbJMo
  • Amidst your circumstances today, are you fearful or confident and at peace? If you know your identity as a child o… https://t.co/RKtp9qnTdH
  • Do you have a deep wound in your heart that is influencing your behaviors that impact negatively on your physical h… https://t.co/2D1e2fRAJr
@faithandhealth

Copyright © 2023 - Faith and Health Connection