01 Jun The Cycle of Life – A Pen for Your Thoughts…
The cycle of life consists of Valleys, Plains, Hills and Mountains. Every one of us is involved in this cycle of life, and life can start you at any part of this cycle. Some start in the valley; they were born into trouble, poverty and pain. Some were started in the plains where they have the basic comforts of life but not much ambition. Others had the benefit of being born on the mountain tops where everything is possible and good! The news is that no stage is permanent. Be sure to know that every stage is transitional. The BIG question is, Where are you right now?
In The Valley
The Valley is the lowest part of the cycle. It is a place of hardship, pain and struggle. It is also the place to toughen up and grow from boyhood to manhood. In the valley, your true relationships are revealed to you; be they friends or foes. It is the place where the faint-hearted simply give up. In the Valley, some develop a survival instinct and simply pitch their tents there. They believe that the Valley stage is their lot in life, after all, not everyone will be at the mountain top (and they are so correct). They become the leader of the slums and simply develop the ability to absorb whatever the Valley throws at them. Another group of people simply stay in the Valley long enough to finish their training and then fight their way out. They know and believe that there is still space at the top for them, so they find their way out of the Valley and end up on thePlains.
In The Plains
The Plains is a place of rest, respite, recovery and comfort. Its a place for the novices in life’s skills to start their mild training. It is a place of picnics, parties and fun. Unfortunately, this place of fantasy is just an illusion that does not always last. Some simply pitch their tents here and believe they have done well for themselves; after all they are better than the people in the Valley. Unfortunately, the Plains is a place of mediocrity. Most people get so comfortable with this stage that they do not attempt anything higher or better. They remain in this stage of false success until the enemy comes upon them suddenly in the form of unexpected circumstances and unforeseen issues. They then begin to run helter-skelter. Some end up right back in the Valley, and some, on their way to the foot of the mountains. They struggle and climb a bit and suddenly they are at the top. It wasn’t so difficult, was it? Alas! It is the top of the Hills.
At The Hills
The Hills is a place of progress; a place of small victories, little successes and some advancement. It is definitely a place where a person can experience measurable achievements. But these experiences are one-off incidents and there is so little room on the Hills. Depending on your level of focus, you may very well fall back into the Valley or Plains; or choose to be on your way up the Mountain top.
On The Mountains
The Mountains is a place of mixed blessings. The road up the Mountains is extremely lonely. Most people prefer to settle down at the Hill tops; it’s not so difficult to get there and even though the achievements are quite limited, they are okay with that because they don’t have to work too hard. The Mountains on the other hand is a place of “make it or get broken!” There is no room for mediocrity; only the toughest survive and make it to the top. The journey up requires full development of every skill you have acquired: physical, mental, emotional, and psychological. The painful part is that, on your way up, people stop understanding you, even your loved ones! Some even give up on you and only those that love you unconditionally will stick around (and often wonder if you know what you are doing!).
However, the interesting part is that the moment you get to the top and push your flag of success into the Mountains, voilà! All your “friends” will return. After all, success has many relatives. You are suddenly surrounded with so much love! The major challenge with this stage is knowing how long to remain at this particular Mountain top. It’s not forever! The mountains also reveal the true character and nature of a man. The skill and attributes you developed on your way will define who you have become.
Just as nature has taught us, no stage is permanent. Just when you start getting used to mountain top, you might suddenly find yourself on your way to the Valley! Sometimes you don’t even realise on time that you are on your way there until you are right at the Valley.
So many factors could be responsible for the return trip to the Valley from the Mountain top. It could be ‘self-inflicted’ as a result of an attempt to conquer another Mountain. You just didn’t just realise that the gap between the mountain you were on, and another higher one is a deep valley. Some factors could be as a result of personal errors and wrong choices in life. Some factors, you just can’t even explain; life just happens.
Some people are unable to recover from this rude shock of life. ‘Life is so unfair’ they say, ‘how do I ever recover? It’s too late, I’m too old to do this again.’ So they give up and die, or pitch their tents in the valleys and spend the remains of their days telling stories to the younger generation of their past victories. They become story tellers of the valley. They are simply too tired to try again.
Some start their journey up again. They pack their baggage and begin to climb. The only difference is that this time they are smarter by reason of experience. They avoid the pitfalls of the past. They don’t even wait at the Plains and the Hills to rest. They know that the greatest reward is at the top of the Mountain and they are going straight for it.
What Do You Do When You Are Too Tired To Go A Step Further?
There are three things to do.
- First, look back; to your past successes and not failures, to progress made and not downfalls. Remember the good times you had and achievements you experienced. Man, you were good!
- Secondly, look forward. To the gratification of conquering this new Mountain and proving that you are a mountain-owner. Look forward to all the good incentives and rewards that come with the success of the Mountain top.
- Thirdly, look upward; to the One that sticks closer than a brother. You need The One who that will go all the way to the Mountain top with you; even when everyone else abandons you. Jesus is The One that knows all the secret routes to the mountain top. He is The One that will give you fresh vision when you lose your vision. He will make straight your path even when your eyes are dim. He will keep your vision alive and take you to the very top.
If you have not met Jesus, I will like to introduce Him to you. He is the Breath of Life; He is the Giver of Life. He is the Saviour and Lord of mankind. Simply say this prayer at the right-hand column of this page. God bless you!
‘A Pen for Your Thoughts’ articles are written by Olufunke Agboola
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