As 2019 drew to an end and 2020 was coming in, a lot of people made the remark that this would be a year of 20/20 vision. Most seemed to think this would be a positive thing—as in God giving us vision in our enterprises and endeavors. What I found, as we marched through a historic year, was that God was indeed opening my eyes and giving me greater vision. But contrary to what most had thought, it came in the form of stripping away facades and revealing to myself just who I was. Not to mention many people around me. Not all of it was pretty. And it was an ongoing process. 

As the pandemic reached greater heights in 2020, my business proportionately (or so it seemed) reached greater lows. So much so that by September of that year, I was out of business and on the market for a job. The whole process of trying to keep the business afloat and not knowing what was around the bend had drained me. But it was only the beginning.

In the years that followed, God continuously arranged circumstances that revealed my limitations to myself and others. Not just in one arena of life. It seemed that in all arenas I was being challenged and confronted with shortcomings. Everywhere I turned I seemed to find a stumbling block.

A Valley Of Humiliation

I thought of many ways I could escape from the various trials, but I knew instinctively that God was doing a deep work in my life that I would be foolish to run from. Once, as I sat thinking over the chain of events and circumstances that swirled around me, I wondered how best to sum up my experience. The phrase Valley of Humiliation flashed through my mind. And it stuck with me.

It was a name John Bunyan had used in Pilgrims Progress for a valley Christian was going through. My experience was not what Christian’s was necessarily, but the term fit perfectly just the same. The single common denominator in the outcome of my experiences was humiliation. But why? 

Hidden Pride

I had to conclude that I was a proud man. And I’ve since concluded you don’t know just how proud you are until God leads you through such a valley and you see how much you need to humble yourself to endure the pain of it. 

Typically in the past, I might have consoled myself with a strength I had, to make up for the humiliation of a weakness. I lost that option to a large degree during this time. It was a major stripping of self. If I wanted to stay with the Lord and the road He laid out for me, I would simply need to humble myself under His mighty hand and endure until He chose to exalt me (1 Pet. 5:6). 

The good thing is, that God promises to be strong when we are weak. Yes, through all the trials I’ve faced through the past few years, God has been faithful to hold me together and let His strength shine through. 

Grace To The Humbled

I am still in this valley to some extent, but I feel like I am slowly being lifted out of it by the grace of God—hopefully a much humbler man. And if you find yourself experiencing something similar, I hope you might find in my account something that will give you courage to walk through the middle of it without seeking escape.  

The pain we endure in this life is fleeting—and according to Paul in Romans, it is not even worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

By Roy Troyer