1. to grow vigorously
2. to gain in wealth or possessions
3. to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances
There is a continuous theme in each of these definitions and it's one that has surprised me as I've been thinking on this topic and writing this month.
Thriving is a process, not a destination.
We often think that if we're truly thriving we've somehow attained a higher level of life.
If we go by Webster's definition, though, we see that it's about growth, gaining, progress. Not full maturity or perfection.
We sometimes talk about life in terms like 'surviving' or 'just keeping my head above water'. If we say these things does it mean we're not thriving?
It could.
But what if thriving was not about keeping on top of things and getting through another day.
What if thriving was about my attitude?
What if thriving was about my growth in Christ-likeness?
Because if it's about my attitude and my spiritual growth, then I can thrive in the midst of anything. And my thriving might look very different from yours because we're all at different points in our journey with the Lord.
And sometimes we go through valleys and sometimes we stand on the mountaintop, but isn't it how we do each of those things that is important?
I'm learning about my attitude and how it affects my ability to thrive, so I'm going to talk about that for the next few days, maybe for the remainder of the month. I don't have it all planned out, but I want to share what God has been teaching me in this area.
For today, though, I want to leave you with a great promise, one that reminds me that my thriving will one day reach maturity, and it's God who is doing the work in me.
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you
will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Philippians 1:6
For a list of all posts in this series go here.
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