Hope and Restoration in the Valley

The bible tells a story about the prophet Ezekiel who envisioned a valley full of dry bones. God led Ezekiel back and forth in the midst of this valley, surrounded by dry bones. God asked Ezekiel "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel replied, "God, only you can answer that." God commanded Ezekiel to speak life into the many dry bones. Ezekiel prophesied to the bones as God commanded, and before he finished speaking, he heard a rattling noise as the bones came together, bone to bone. As he looked, muscle and skin covered the bones, but the bones still had no life. Then God commanded him to speak life into the bones, and as he spoke the words, an amazingly great host came back to life and stood upon their feet.

The bones in Ezekiel's vision symbolized the people of Israel, whose lives seemed as hopeless as dry bones coming to life. Humanly speaking, their future seemed as hopeless as that of a skeleton regaining flesh and coming back to life. Oh how hopeless the situations in their lives seemed.

During this time of economic hardship and distress, you too, may find yourself in the midst of a valley. In the midst of a valley that seems hopeless. Your valley may be a life of loneliness or sorrow. Your valley may be a life of struggling with finances, ill health, or tarnished relationships. Your valley may be a life of indecision, of not knowing which way to turn. Whatever that valley may be, know that just as Ezekiel witnessed -- there is hope in your valley.

Don't lose hope -- because if you lose hope, your become lifeless spiritually, mentally and physically. Make the decision today, that you will speak life into your situation with positive words. Then take the necessary actions today, to regain that hope into your situation.

Free yourself from the valley of fear and hopelessness that captivates you from making that change--because only you can.

There is hope in the valley -- there is hope in YOUR valley.

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Copyright 2003 by Audrina Jones Bunton. REPRINTING THIS ARTICLE: Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this article only in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged. You can find other articles to choose from at http://www.purposefully-living.com/mailing%20list.htm

Motivational Speaker, Audrina Jones Bunton was born the seventh of eight children in her household in Pinehurst, North Carolina into a loving and committed Christian home. As she has 2 children, over 40 nieces and nephews and great- nieces and nephews, it is not unusual to find her under the same roof with many of her maternal five-generation family on weekends and on holidays. In her youth, she fondly recalls traveling throughout the U.S. with her family, as her parents ministered from state to state year after year-helping people as they traveled.

A graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Audrina is a Competent Toastmaster of Toastmasters International and serves as the North Carolina District Sergeant At Arms. She is a former counselor of the Durham Pregnancy Support Services, a Christian-oriented crisis pregnancy center in Durham, North Carolina and is currently a Social Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Audrina is currently studying at the Master's Divinity School in Evansville, Indiana with a combined concentration in Biblical Counseling and IABC certification.

She also serves as the Youth Director at the Come As You Are Evangelistic Center in Aberdeen, North Carolina where her mother, Lydia Jones is the pastor.

Modeling after a song that her mother so often sings, and one that Martin Luther King, Jr. often quoted, her life and speeches are based on the following lyrics, "If I can help somebody as I pass along, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong, Then my living will not be in vain."

Audrina resides with her husband William, and 2 children, Audrina Lorraine and William Woodrow.

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