Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace

by Iyanla Vanzant

A gift edition of meditations from the inspirational speaker shows women how to look at their lives and determine if their own behavior may be the cause of their problems and how to build a new and healthier foundation for living. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian, Personal Growth, 20th Century, Reference

368 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 1996

About the author

In Peace From Broken Pieces New York Times best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant she recounts the last decade of her life and the spiritual lessons learnedfrom the price of success during her meteoric rise as a TV celebrity on Oprah, the Iyanla TV show (produced by Barbara Walters), to the dissolution of her marriage and her daughters 15 months of illness and death on Christmas day. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Iyanla shares why everything we need to learn is reflected in our relationships and the strength and wisdom she has gained by supporting others in their journeys to make sense out of the puzzle pieces of their lives.
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Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to use one sentence from this book to sum it up it would be

"No one can love me, like I can love me"

Iyanla Vanzant is a spiritual advisor, a talk show host, a professional Auntie and most importantly she's been to Oprah's house.

I found this book when I was going through a box of my mom's books. I hadn't planned on reading this but some reason I took the book and just put it on my night stand where it stayed for WEEKS. And then one day I felt this book call to me.

As you know I'm not really into self help or spiritual books. They're just not for me...and yet this book called to me.

Faith in the Valley is a spiritual book but it can be read by those who aren't spiritual. The basic purpose and principals of the book are to take care of yourself first. As women we tend to look out for everyone else first and if there's time we might check in on ourselves.

But Iyanla want you to be good to yourself. She wants you to stop being so hard on yourself. She wants you to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Basically she wants you to be happy in your own skin.

This is a nice little book to keep on your nightstand and pick up when you need a little guidance.

No rec because I think you need to be in the right headspace to enjoy this.

[Vernitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for YEARS and I have not put it down since!!!!!! This book is a part of my spiritual diet!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the things that were said were inspirational and true. However I read this book far too late in life. The thoughts that Vanzant expressed that I loved were thoughts I already knew or believed because of my own life experiences. However where I am now in my life, a wonderful place, and this book isn't right for me. It's meant for those, specifically women, who are lost or feel insufficient. It is after all a self-help book. But even then, there are too many affirmations that are redundant or a bit too...ridiculous even. One thing in particular she did was when speaking about God she referred to God as S/He, either you believe God to be a man or a woman, please, just pick one. By the end of the book, you are reading just to finish and are surprised and overjoyed when she says something that you believe or agree with or something you didn't already know. I understand that the concept isn't meant to be a read through but rather daily readings of affirmations by searching through the topics at the top of the page, so that you could read what you need to for how you feel that day, but for all the valleys she's created some of the resolutions are too shallow, too much on the surface of things. It more likely you will read one passage today, agree completely and yet never actually apply it to your life past that moment. Perhaps I expect a self-help book to not just help momentarily but moves you in such a way that you create a life change, maybe I have too high of a standard for the genre. Or perhaps as I stated earlier. I just read this book far too late in life to fully appreciate it.

One thing Vanzant says that I believe is, "Life is much smarter than we are." Perhaps at the end of all these affirmations and sayings and passages that is all we need to understand, that at the end of the day we don't really know as much as we believe we do. But to survive it all, we should just keep on truckin' and looking for answers and solutions by accepting the fact that we don't know as much as we pretend to but we can learn and change along the way, because life is the adventure after all.

Is that the point of her daily life lessons in the Valley? I don't know, I don't believe so. But I say that's what you take out of it. And if you get more than good for you. I, at least got to read a book that I had sitting on my shelf for more than 10 years and now I get to leave it behind and hope the next person who comes across it takes more of it than I did.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be religious to enjoy this book. It's a daily pick-me-up.

[Charlette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! So far, it is an excellent read! I recommend it highly to anyone!

[Isis Nakia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed me how to totally embrace myself and take responsibility for my actions and my life

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very up-lifting. Great bitful sized advice.

[Teji · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is essentially a book of affirmations for women, grounded in the belief in an unspecified Higher Power. The author intentionally avoids specifying the Higher Power, but I wish she had at least stuck to one moniker—The Universe, the Divine, or the Higher Power, or God—and one gender. Instead, she cycles through the options in a way that I found distracting.

Based on a statement near the beginning of the book, I think this is intended as a companion to another book—but I have not read the other book. The essential message of this book is to understand yourself as a work in progress, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, love yourself, and understand yourself as a perfect reflection of the Love of (insert name of Higher Power).

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. If you have ever heard the author speak, the writing reflects the way she speaks—I could hear her voice in my head as I was reading (hardcover book). In that way, it sometimes felt like I was reading her journal—her own, aha moments about her own journey, rather than universal truths. Some of the affirmations are downright cheeky. Others are reverent. Many are pithy, and fairly surface level. Some seem to contradict others. Yet…sprinkled here and there, I found a few phrases that really struck me or caused me to pause and reflect.

Quotes

“That’s what problems are, you know, they are vision tests. They remind us to look beyond what we can see on the outside to what we know on the inside. They challenge us to broaden our perspective and alter our approach to life…when we do not remember what we know, and how to put it into practice, we end up in a place I call the valley. A valley is a vision test, cleverly disguised as a bad situation, which has come into out experience as a challenge to our perspective…In the valley, the lesson is to broaden your scope, to view yourself and life from another perspective; to take other things into consideration; and to remember what happened the last time you were in the same, or similar, situation. A valley is a life situation designed to reach us the character traits and spiritual virtues which are undeveloped or underdeveloped in our consciousness.” -p11-12

“In…the Bhagavad Gita, there is a passage which reads, ‘You will be tested! What if the Creator has a great task for you to perform and you are unprepared> Your tests come to ensure that you will be prepared when your time comes to serve.’ Serving the Creator is what life is all about. Many of us, in the quest ‘to do’ and ‘to get’, forget service. We have not been taught that service means to ‘be’ the embodiment of the Creator…” -p18-19

“What we call living or trying to live is not life! God is life! God is not in conflict or struggle with anyone about anything. God is not restricted or restrictive.” -p19

“Life does whatever is necessary to mold us into shape and prepare us for greatness…life teaches us to understand that God has a perfect plan for us; according to that plan, we must be molded and shaped prior to being case into our perfect place. When we truly recognize that there is a master plan, we can welcome any tool that comes to prepare us to behold our perfect place. When we are shaped and molded by life according to God’s perfect plan, the world is amazed and blessed by our beauty and longevity.” -p27

“The same God that was good yesterday is good today. The same God that loved you last week, loves you today…Right where you are, in the midst of trouble, take a moment to be loved, comforted, guided, by the good God who knows exactly what you need. God is present. God’s presence is called grace.” -p29

“You can’t shrink into greatness. When you reflect on the things you have done and not done, there is a tendency to beat up on yourself. We criticize, judge, and condemn ourselves much more severely than the world could or would. In response to this self-flagellation, we shrink away from doing or attempting to do. You cannot shrink into your greatness! We must use our past as a road map, a key, that unlocks our capabilities by giving us understanding of our frailties…Accept who you are now and all you’ve done.” -p31

“When unwanted situations repeat themselves in our lives, there is something we have missed. There is a blind spot in our consciousness…Little problems in life are like a pop quiz which will determine continue to move along mindlessly in your old ways…Sometimes an uneasy feeling will be the normal fear or doubt associated with doing things that are different or new. At other times, it will be life warning you to get still, pay attention…Here is a clue about life’s little warnings: monsters don’t have shadows! You will never see the monster coming. It will descend upon you before you recognize it. If you are feeling uneasy for no apparent reason, it means you are being quizzed about something you are adequately equipped to handle, based on past experience.” -p32-33

“Your blessings have your name on them; so do your lessons! Your greatest blessing appears before you, cleverly disguised as your most difficult challenge, as your greatest obstacle, or as an extremely negative experience you are forced to handle all by yourself…” -p37

“Never be so responsible for the world that you forget to be responsible for yourself.” -p41

“People hurt in many ways for many reasons. Unfortunately, we are programmed at a very early age to take something or to do something to make the pain go away…pain is actually a marvelous teaching tool. When you hurt, you become acutely aware that something you are doing, or have done, is not good for you.” -60

“All people, no matter what you think about them, are an embodiment of the same divine energy in you…Your job is to honor and respect people for the part of God they are.” -p72

“When we hold on the need to always be right, we close ourselves off to the energy of the Divine Mind, which is always at work in and through other people.” -p74

“…we ultimately come face-to-face with out own inner self by virtue of our experiences…no matter how you show up in life, it is an opportunity for you to give yourself something you need. The more frightened you show up, the more love you need. The more disorderly, disorganized, dysfunctional you appear to be out there, the more understanding, balance, and joy you need within…show yourself who you really are by giving yourself the love you really need.” -p85

“You cannot come to God with your hands full. You cannot expect Spirit to lift you up if you come with clenched fists.” -p124

“Often we don’t realize that in saving others we keep them from their lesson, and in doing so, we are actually encouraging the destructive behavior we want to save them from. There is a thin line between support and salvation, assistance and rescue.” -p165

“As women, we owe it to ourselves in life to assist, support and serve others. We must remember, however, that we cannot give what we do not have. Give to yourself first! Do what you can because you want to, because of love. Never act from a false sense of responsibility. Fixing other people and things is only a temporary relief which mask what we really believe about our self. Take time to heal the internal wounds that make you believe you are not enough. Once this is done, you will know when you have done enough!” -p174

“The reward you receive for a job well done is getting a bigger, harder job to do. Many of us believe that once we demonstrate how strong, how good, how smart we are, life should give us a break…Nothing could be further from the truth about the way life works…You must never become tired of reaching, stretching, growing, and becoming better and better…the more you know and the more you can do, the more you will be called upon…Yes, you are entitled to a much-deserved rest. Once you get rested, get ready! Life is going to bring you a big task to perform, a deep mystery to resolve, a harder job to work on, and a greater victory then you have ever had before” -p208

“Many of us are so focused on the outcome that we miss the you of the task. Is it meant for us to live frantically, in order to accomplish as much as we possibly can, as fast as we can, before we die? Or, are we meant to live simply, slowly, enjoying every task and experience untilwe die? In other words, are we living to die? Or are we dying because we don't live?...If your life is feverishly frantic, confusing, complicated, overwhelmingly burdened—you'd better slow down because there is something that you are missing. If you don't have time to do the things you love, while the things you spend your time doing make you feel and act unloving—slow down, there is something that you are missing. If you have so much to do that you have nothing to look forward to, but more doing—you had better slow down because there is definitely something that you are missing. When you move too fast, doing too much, you miss the moment by moment, day by day joy associated with being alive. Understand that you don't have to run around trying to make a good life. The goodness of life is right where you are, but you have to slow down in order to recognize it.” -p240

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this little book with its one page essays, meditations and prayers. I usually just read a few pages at a time. So many things to reflect on. The author takes us on a journey through valleys, those low points where we are challenged to grow and become stronger.

One idea that I am going to try to implement in a smaller, less ambitious way was spiritual discipleship. The author suggested putting 12 principles into a bag, pulling one out and working on that for 90 days. I may try 30 days as it is said that it takes 21 days to make mental changes happen. Her suggested principles were love, faith, truth, acceptance, awareness, understanding, clarity, order, peace, balance, harmony, surrender, discipline, and courage.

Quotes to remember:

"Difficulties prepare you for victory. Disease prepares you for health. Confusion prepares you for clarity. Hopelessness prepares you for purpose. Failure prepares you for success. Poverty prepares you for prosperity. Criticism prepares you for acceptance. Pain prepares you for joy. Anger prepares you for forgiveness. Ignorance prepares you for truth. Loneliness prepares you for love. Love prepares you to stand face to face with God. God is the one who sends whatever it is you need to be prepared."

"Dear God, Please remind me that my days are numbered. Teach me that my time here in this life is precious so that I will not waste it. Help me to recognize how precious every moment is so that I spend it doing those things that will bring me closer to You. In the time that I have left, please teach me how to serve You, Dear God. Teach me how to give joyously, serve willingly, and love totally. Remind me that I cannot serve in greed, doubt, fear, or anger. Fill my soul with Your light, so that Your bountiful blessings will shine though my soul into the world. Each day that I awake, I pray that You will be present in my thoughts, my words, and all of my deeds. I ask that every moment that I have left in this life be a channel through which some measure of Your love and light may reach those with whom I come into contact."

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a reference book by the way, with "feelings & attitude" refernces in the top corner of each page to find your insight like finding a definitions in a dictionary.
What did I learn from this book?
The straight dope - I have to be real with myself at least! Things are rarely as bad as they seem.

[Michelle]

Read this years ago and it changed my perspective on life, I just wasn't ready to practice what I learned. Years later I now know how much it really taught me.

[Jill Sumstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Vanzant's "Just For Today"

[Harnel · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is ok to read like, a page or a few pages a day or every once in a while. i can be motivational.

[Cws]

158.12

[Jani Akilah · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the tunnel of life seems like its getting dark remember there is always a bright light at the end!

[Pamela Greer]

This is a must have and great book to revist like an old friend. My favorite Iyanala book. This book has been a blessing to me. Thank You Iyanala.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome, powerful daily meditation guide for women. Highly recommend it to any women.

[Marilyn Diamond]

My favorite book of all time..

[Van]

Its a great read inspirational talks about life.

[Eyvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it soo much I recently downloaded it to my Kindle just to read it again!

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am having a hard time getting excited about reading this each day. I don't find it very loving in nature, but more as if I am being told harshly.

[Zafirah Muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you find yourself getting stuck in repeated patterns pick this book up

[Creative Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Inspirational and insightful...She always know how to uplift you and teach you about yourself in a spiritual way

[Teira · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT'S OKAY

[C Miller]

One of Angela's books.

[Virginia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An uplifting, true to life book, that is beautifully written. It is a journey on different topics in life. The author keeps it real, Spiritual and offers a lot of ways to self reflect on each page. I recommend reading this one page a day so it fully sinks in. Faith in the Valley brings to light many areas in our life that we may not realize need work. This book will change your life. It is a wonderful resource for those that want to heal their souls, and learn to survive through faith in the valley.

[Judith Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

For 20 years Iyanla’s words are right there when I need them. Each valley she described I could relate to and needed to hear. Her words are timeless and comforting in the day and age. Thankful always for her books!

[R.A. Bentinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Iyanla's work and have been reading most of her work ever since.

[Kametra Hall]

Journey leads to finding yourself and that leads to peace no matter where the circumstances. This books digs deep and brings forth thought to accompany action.

[K.J. Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time! I read it religiously!!