Blossoming out of the Valley
Finding Peace and Stillness with God
Sometimes all it takes to change the course of our lives is a simple, quiet moment of stillness in the midst of our chaotic living. When we take time to practice stillness, we open ourselves to God’s loving presence and to His offer of strength, wisdom, clarity, direction and peace. It is from a still, quiet place that we discover the depth of God’s commitment to us and His desire to heal and restore us.
In moments of stillness, God gives us the courage to look beyond our problems, fears, pain and insecurities—our dark valleys—and empowers us to make real and lasting change. Whether we have one primary struggle, or many, there is always hope for greater freedom and deeper peace. In Blossoming out of the Valley, Abby Lewis shares her journey from the chaos of anxiety, depression, addiction, physical pain and broken personal relationships to a life full of the love and blessings of God.
Presented with clarity and compassion, Lewis recounts how her spirit, mind and body were completely transformed by learning to rest in the presence of God’s love. Her life’s journey inspires us to practice stillness before God so that we too can be renewed, finding the courage to identify the chaos of our own dark valleys and the strength to climb toward the freedom to be love and give love to those around us.
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Testimonials
I have read the first few chapters of your new book. It is amazing! I am so excited about how God is using you and your experience to be such an amazing blessing to so many people. It is such an easy read, yet so applicable for really anyone in their journey. I thought it might just be for people in the deep dark valley. I was completely wrong! This book is such a great tool for anyone-from a wise old pastor to a new Christian to even a non-Christian. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book and helping others get it in their hands. Thank you for your passion and commitment for God and to helping others!
Yours in Health, Dr. Jerod Hill
Introduction to Blossoming out of the Valley: The Day I Turned to Face God
In 2002, I hit rock bottom. I was only twenty-four years old, but I already suffered from extreme anxiety, control issues, depression and numerous addictions. My marriage was falling apart, as were my relationships with my entire family. My thoughts and words were filled with negativity and lies, and I had accumulated major credit card debt. As my problems piled up, they began to manifest physically through severe neck and back pain, as well as numbness in my left arm and left side of my face. I had no love for myself, no joy, no peace and no happiness. My entire life was in complete and utter chaos.
I remember the day that I thought I was losing my mind. I was convinced I was going to have to check myself into a psychiatric hospital. I needed to get away from the noise in my head; I needed to find peace. Feeling lost and hopeless, and frantic to escape it all, I went outside to sit on my back deck. Though I didn’t realize it then, this was the moment of desperation that would lead to my freedom. God was about to uniquely pursue me, and I would be forever changed.
Even though I had grown up in church, I had never felt any deep or meaningful connection with God. I didn’t know who He actually was, what He stood for or how He operated. Yet, as I sat on the deck looking up at the sky, I found myself calling out to Him. Desperate for help, I remember asking, “What God? What?” Seemingly out of nowhere, a ladybug flew down and landed on my arm. As I watched it moving around, I wondered why, at the lowest point in my life, this ladybug wanted to hang out with me. What did it want from me?
I looked at the little bug more deeply than I had ever studied anything before. Drawn in by the black dots on its back, I wondered why they were there. I noticed the shape of the wings—their brilliant red color—and the tiny antennae. I observed its legs and noticed how they felt as it crawled around on my arm. I was completely enthralled by everything about this tiny little creature.
After what must have been fifteen minutes of watching with awe this little creation, I felt something that I had never before experienced—like something had jolted me. A tingling sensation ran up and down my spine as an unfamiliar peace and calmness came over me. I looked around and wondered aloud, “What was that?” I then realized that the anxiety that had long-gripped me had subsided during the entire time I was watching the ladybug.
I had no idea where the feeling of peace was coming from, but it certainly got my attention, and I knew that I wanted more. It was so powerful that it left me desperate to experience—and hold onto—that peace, to allow it to drive out the chaos that defined my life. For that brief time, I forgot about all my problems and concerns, and something began to change in me.
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Over the years, God has given me clarity and a deeper understanding of exactly what happened that day on my back deck. It may seem strange that God would use a ladybug to speak to me. But in His wisdom, He used the non-threatening wonder of His creation to pursue me. The moment the ladybug landed on my arm was the moment I turned to face God.
Until that point in my adult life, I wanted nothing to do with Him. If I heard the word Jesus, I turned and walked away. Because of all the hypocritical and judgmental people (who called themselves Christians) I had dealt with in my life, I was completely against church and the name of Jesus. I had never experienced the true light of Christ. I hadn’t seen—or at least I refused to recognize—His love fully lived out in anyone’s life, so I didn’t believe it actually existed. I didn’t have an accurate view of God’s true character.
God understood that I was against the people who claimed to be His followers, and He knew that I had allowed people to distort my view of who He really is. He knew that if someone approached me talking about Jesus, offered me a Bible or religious tract or invited me to church, I would shut them out. But even all that did not stop Him from uniquely pursuing me.
He knew exactly where my heart was, and He was willing to meet me right there. He drew me to Himself with His creation. Though that ladybug may not have impacted someone else, God knew it would speak to me, right where I was, and it worked. That day was the beginning of my journey toward learning the true character of God and developing a relationship with Him.
Even though I had an amazing encounter that day, my troubles didn’t disappear overnight. All the chaos in my spirit, mind and body was still there. But as I turned to face God, He gave me the strength and wisdom I needed to start climbing and moving forward on my journey to wholeness. I never had to receive traditional medical help or prescription drugs, never had to go to rehab or attend professional counseling. But, I did have to learn to trust God to guide me every step of the way.
Eventually, He enabled me to blossom out of my dark valley of chaos. This journey began when God pursued me—He sent a ladybug, and then overwhelmed me with a moment of His peace. As I turned to face Him, God’s love and power swept in and began a work in me; my life began to change. My journey of healing, growth and transformation has been amazing, even miraculous. Most importantly, I know that if He was willing to heal me, He is willing to heal you as well.
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Whether you are in a pit of despair, like I was, with issues too numerous to count, or you—like many people—have one nagging issue or insecurity that keeps you from freely living, God is ready to help you. Just as He uniquely pursued me, God will uniquely pursue you. Just as He brought me freedom by walking me through a unique healing journey, He can do the same for you.
The inspiration to write this book came from my desire to encourage others to move forward on their own journeys to becoming healthy, whole individuals who are able to be love and to give love to those they encounter. I hope that these pages will help you recognize that God is mercifully and lovingly pursuing you, and that you will choose to turn to face Him. I hope that sharing the ways God helped me heal from my chaos will inspire you to allow God to help you climb out of your dark valley into a relationship with Him that is full of freedom, peace and love.
This book is not intended to be a step-by-step manual on how to heal naturally. Though I will share the process that God led me through, it will not be identical to the path He has laid out for you. You may already be applying some of the principles in this book to your life. Or, there may be suggestions that you are not yet ready to try. You may even encounter ideas with which you don’t agree. That is okay. My desire is that you will pay attention to the things that stand out to you, those that speak directly to your heart. These are your golden nuggets.
God used golden nuggets as markers for each step of my healing journey. As I worked through specific issues in my life, God would send me golden nuggets of practical wisdom to tug at my heart, to confirm the direction I was to move and to show me the changes I needed to make to heal. As I learned to apply these nuggets of truth in my life, I received blessings of clarity, peace and gradual healing. I learned that if I carefully watched and listened, God was always there leading and guiding, bringing me one step closer to freedom.
Learn to recognize and apply the golden nuggets God sends your way as you read this book. Don’t try to apply everything all at once. Simply start with what is speaking to your heart; then, as you feel led, move on to the next thing that stands out. Allow these golden nuggets to become the markers for each step of your unique healing journey.
Remember, healing is a process, so be patient. We are all at different places on our journeys, and your path will not look just like mine. I share my healing journey with you in hopes that you will allow God to blossom you out of your dark valley into a life freely lived.
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BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE
