As the day drags on and more problems arise with each passing moment, I tell myself there are only so many more hours before work is completed for the day—I can make it.
More often than not, I desperately try to survive. I work hard, I enjoy time with friends and family, and I attempt to grow more like Christ each day—something I know those who love and follow Jesus should strive for each moment. However, while I attempt to survive, I often feel tempted to perform the minimum amount of work required. I desire to sleep until the last possible second. I even talk myself out of that extra mile during a run.
When I run, there are usually two distinct thought patterns I follow, which consist of either please help me finish still breathing, or this feels amazing! Basically, I'm either surviving, or I'm thriving. I have to admit that all I could think about this morning during my run was surviving, which enabled me to reach the finish line but made the journey not as enjoyable.
Not unlike the popular Casting Crowns song "Thrive," which tells listeners we were made to thrive, we have a higher calling than to simply go through life surviving. Surviving means to remain alive. Our Creator did not place us on Earth to merely remain alive until we have lived out our days. He created us to thrive, to prosper, to flourish.
It proves hard enough, however, to survive at times. When you don't have a clue as to where the money will come from to pay your next bill, when you watch helplessly as a family member suffers through a crippling disease, when someone walks away after promises of forever, it takes all your strength to hold your head high and survive. How could God possibly expect you to thrive while crushed under circumstances such as these?
Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). He has a plan, and you have a purpose. Stop merely surviving. God does not intend for us to crawl to the finish line, hoping we will have the energy to make it still breathing. He also does not intend for us to drag our feet to the finish line, allowing laziness to take control. He intends for us to praise Him with the thanksgiving of how amazing it feels to thrive.
Find comfort in the fact that our Savior knows the pains of this life. Christ knows what it feels like to live in human flesh and experience the problems of this world. Look to Him when you find yourself struggling for survival. Find hope in the blessings He provides each day. Give Him thanks for the gifts He leaves in our paths, gifts that we sometimes miss because we become caught up in the complaints and tears and frustrations that take over when we try to survive.
Seek joy every day. Flourish. Prosper. Thrive. Give Him glory through it all. For we were made to thrive.
Not unlike the popular Casting Crowns song "Thrive," which tells listeners we were made to thrive, we have a higher calling than to simply go through life surviving. Surviving means to remain alive. Our Creator did not place us on Earth to merely remain alive until we have lived out our days. He created us to thrive, to prosper, to flourish. It proves hard enough, however, to survive at times. When you don't have a clue as to where the money will come from to pay your next bill, when you watch helplessly as a family member suffers through a crippling disease, when someone walks away after promises of forever, it takes all your strength to hold your head high and survive. How could God possibly expect you to thrive while crushed under circumstances such as these?
Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). He has a plan, and you have a purpose. Stop merely surviving. God does not intend for us to crawl to the finish line, hoping we will have the energy to make it still breathing. He also does not intend for us to drag our feet to the finish line, allowing laziness to take control. He intends for us to praise Him with the thanksgiving of how amazing it feels to thrive.
Find comfort in the fact that our Savior knows the pains of this life. Christ knows what it feels like to live in human flesh and experience the problems of this world. Look to Him when you find yourself struggling for survival. Find hope in the blessings He provides each day. Give Him thanks for the gifts He leaves in our paths, gifts that we sometimes miss because we become caught up in the complaints and tears and frustrations that take over when we try to survive.
Seek joy every day. Flourish. Prosper. Thrive. Give Him glory through it all. For we were made to thrive.
