The Pursuit of Happyness: Faith Through the Valley (Psalm 23:4)

Chris Gardner and his son sleep in a subway bathroom, homeless, while Chris pursues an unpaid internship. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Gardner walks through the valley—not around it. He doesn't skip the suffering; he endures it with his son at his side. The psalm doesn't promise we won't enter valleys; it promises presence within them. Gardner's tears of joy at the end come not because the valley didn't happen, but because he made it through. God's "with-ness" doesn't prevent the darkness—it accompanies us through it.