Choosing to Thrive

It sounds so simple: you were made to thrive, not just survive.

Yet how many of us find ourselves so often in survival-mode?

Adding 4 children to our family in less than a decade naturally meant that in certain seasons, we were surviving. In that season, Jared and I would attempt to brainstorm a different plan to combat the chaos tracking that week, but those conversations often ended with one of us saying, “This is a season. We are surviving. It’s ok” (possibly the sleep-deprivation talking !).

Looking back, I’m thankful we had enough sense to provide the space to “just survive” with realistic expectations. God in His great love, carried us through proving His faithfulness in trying seasons.

I do not believe, however, that God intends for His children to stay in survival-mode indefinitely.

This last month, the women at TVBC have been blogging testimonies for our “A New Year: Thrive” posts. I hope you have enjoyed their testimonies as I have! Such wisdom among these women. Many have shared with us how good God has been to them in different seasons. Yes, sometimes “just surviving” is a testament to the faithfulness of God. He is a God who sees and cares about our immediate circumstances. He has promised a purpose and a goodness through the trials (Jeremiah 29:11). But we do not want to be women who only experience God from the need in tragedy.

• We want to be women who plant roots, cultivate, and nurture our relationship with Him.
• We want to flourish in all seasons.
• We want to thrive.

So how do we do that?

I believe we can thrive if we follow these few simple steps:

1. Abide in Christ (John 7:38). We need to daily dig into the Word. For most of us, choosing to daily invest time reading Scripture means we are saying no to something else. If you want to thrive, are you willing to say no to a daily habit in order to say yes to abiding in Christ? Dig into and drink from the wellspring of life.
2. Be a worshiper (Romans 12:1). True worship is birthed from a correct posturing of oneself against the identity and character of a holy God-the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who took on flesh, became a suffering servant, blameless in word and deed, and proved His divinity in His resurrection! When we truly realize who we are in light of who Christ is, how can we help but begin worship with thankfulness? If we want to thrive, we must be women of thankfulness. What better discipline to grow thankfulness than that of true worship?
3. Finally, hold fast to community (1 John 1:7). To thrive entails growth. Thriving cannot be to stay the same. God designed us, His prized creation to need one another. In participating in the body of Christ, in doing life together, we find encouragement and accountability that leads to a spiritual deepening. If you have ever felt like you cannot do it all or do not have enough time to complete that which God has called you to, then you are not alone. God does not give us all the time we need because we were created to exist in gospel-centered community. This means we were meant to depend upon one another to complete His calling! Gospel-centered fellowship is crucial for our spiritual growth.

We want to be women who reflect the image of God as His image-bearers. In some seasons, God is shown glorious through His faithfulness to us in difficult circumstances when we need to be carried through just to survive. Those who have walked this kind of season, often marked with tender vulnerability, know what I mean when I say Christ and His presence is intimately treasured in a unique way. 

While these markers on our journey are important and inevitable (John 16:33), learning to operate in all seasons from a deeply rooted stability is equally vital. This stability allows us to thrive, not merely survive. We become like sturdy trees, reflecting the fullness of life, joy, and peace that can be found in Christ…in and out of season (Psalm 1:1-3).

In 2017, let’s grow some deep roots girls. Let’s nourish and cultivate our relationship with God through His Word, worship, and our fellowship with one another. Let’s thrive.

Sara