That for This

About a month ago, I spoke at an event. My content was quite literally my life. The ups & down recent & not so recent. While I was explaining things to the audience, God was explaining things to me. I spoke about a recent low point in my life & God said, “I took you through that….so you could do this.” That one sentence changed my prospective on the past year of my life. Hopefully, it’ll help change your perspective too.

I’ve been gone for a minute, so let me catch ya’ll up (it’s relevant, I promise). Since the last time I did this on a regular basis, I have joined a sorority & graduated law school (I’m technically Dr. Campbell - that’s weird lol). I have also studied for, taken, & failed the Texas bar exam.I have never in my life been so hardly hit by words: we regret to inform you. The weight. The embarrassment. The pain. The unmoving and yet ever growing feeling of…complete & total failure. Yet, I gathered my shambles, let God put me back together, & took the bar again. That process brought me to who I am today: Valencia K. Campbell, Esquire. Ooh! I also finished ministry school & received my Minister’s License. I’d need more than a paragraph to describe the mental, physical, emotional, and financial battles to describe what this journey has been like but I can briefly say this: God had & still has a purpose for every moment - told or untold.


Isaiah 40:22 says “It is He [God] who sits above the circle of the earth….” What I like about this verse is the advantage of God’s perspective. When you sit above something, you see things that those within the ‘circle’ don’t see. Sitting above the circle gives me the benefit of seeing who’s hiding in secret places, who’s coming behind you, who’s plotting in a corner. These are things we cannot see from inside our “circles” or “pits.” Because God sits above us and our situations, He can plan and protect us from attacks/strategies we may not even know are in place. He sees what we can’t. Therefore, He is positioned to do what we can’t. Yet…we rarely find hope in this when we’re going through. It’s one thing to say “all things work together” when….all things are clearly working together for our benefit. It’s a lot harder to say that & believe it when it feels like everything is actually working together to kill us. However, every pit plays a part in our purpose.


It’s hard to find comfort in your pit’s purpose…while you’re in the pit. It’s hard to know your pit’s purpose while you’re in the pit (trust me, I’ve tried). We often try to find comfort in knowing that we won’t be in this low place forever, but…that can breed so many more questions (which tend to increase our anxiety). God gives glimpses & promises, but He rarely gives exact details. So in the pits of our lives, we clearly see what’s around us or right in front of us, but not what’s beyond us. What we (ok, I) often fail to see or understand is the fact that this valley is merely a step in the process that takes me to a new & higher mountain.


I’m learning that what happens in the pit is not meant to stay in the pit - it’s meant to be used beyond it. God uses my pit experiences to help people who may be in theirs. God’s perspective is broader than ours. Therefore, His plan is more complete than ours. I’ve yet to go through a low place that God did not use. I’ve yet to cry a tear of pain, grief, confusion, or disappointment that God did not use for His plan. He watched and comforted me in my pit knowing that it would soon play a part in my purpose. It’s our pits that often bind us together. It’s our low moments that make us prime for His use. Pits don’t pull us away from our purpose; they push us towards it. If you’re searching for your life’s purpose, I’d encourage you to review your pits. God is not simply the God of our mountains; He’s especially the God of our valleys.


Background music: All Things - Nicole & David Binion

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