Valleys are real. So is the Shepherd who walks through them with you.

A valley is a real place with real length, and being told to look on the bright side inside one is useless. Company is what you get instead: not an exit, not an explanation, but someone walking at the same pace over the same ground. That is a smaller promise than rescue and a more useful one.

If you are in one, lower the bar to getting through today rather than fixing anything. Let someone walk part of it with you, even if all they do is sit nearby. And when you are out the other side, remember how much the company mattered, and be that for somebody else.