Chapter 5 Walking Through the Valley

Practices for the Dark Season In the valley, the spiritual practices that normally feel life-giving often go dry. Prayer feels hollow. Scripture feels distant. Worship feels performative. This does not mean the practices have stopped working. It means your capacity to experience them has been temporarily affected by the depression you are in. Keep the minimum practices — even if they feel like nothing. A brief, honest prayer. A few verses of Scripture. A simple act of worship, even if it is just lying on the floor and telling God you have nothing left. The practices create the container for healing even when the experience of them is dry. And give yourself extraordinary grace for the season you are in. You are carrying more than most people see. You are doing more than most people know. The dark season does not require heroic performance. It requires survival — and survival is enough. "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." — Psalm 147:3 In the valley, the minimum is enough. Stay. Breathe. Pray even when it feels empty. You are more faithful than you know.