By Richard Huxley, Certified Coach

There are moments—quiet, heavy moments—when you begin to feel small. Overlooked. Forgotten. As if your efforts are ignored, and your presence doesn’t move the needle. If that’s where you are right now, believe me, you are not alone. Many strong, capable, faithful people pass through this valley. Feeling insignificant does not mean you are insignificant. It means you’re human.

Valleys have a way of distorting perspective. They narrow our view and mute our sense of purpose. But valleys are not permanent places; they are passages. Think of bamboo: after it’s planted, nothing breaks the surface for nearly five years. For years, all the growth has happened underground. Roots are stretching deep. Building strength. Preparing for what’s to come. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, bamboo can grow several feet in a matter of weeks. Just because you don’t see the progress you want to see, it doesn’t mean something meaningful isn’t happening within or around you. What feels like stagnation may actually be preparation.

When insignificance settles in, you don’t need a dramatic overhaul. What can work are just faithful, grounding steps:

Steps You Can Take in the Valley

• Name the feeling without judgment. Acknowledge it instead of fighting it. Awareness brings relief.
• Re-anchor to God, not the emotion. Feelings are real, but they are not always reliable narrators. Feelings and emotions are like the weather, constantly changing. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
• Shrink the moment. Focus on today. One small act of obedience, courage, or kindness at a time.
• Reach outward. Isolation magnifies insignificance. Connection restores perspective. Share what you are feeling with a loved one. Ask them to walk beside you.
• Remember past valleys. You’ve survived before. This season is proof of your resilience, not your weakness.
• Consistent prayer time. Spend time alone with God in prayer. I cannot express how reassuring prayer time can be and how encouraged and strengthened your heart will feel.

If you’re in the valley, don’t rush yourself out of it. Walk through it with intention. There is meaning even here. And one day, often sooner than you expect, you’ll look back and realize this low place was shaping you for higher ground. Down the road, you may also be the encouragement that someone needs, and your moment now will be a testimony for them later.  

God is working in your heart. He is refining you. Yield to Him. You matter more than you feel, more than you see, and more than this moment allows you to believe.