The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10
Thriving depends on me. No one else holds the key to my ability to thrive and become the very best version of me. No matter what I have experienced.
We are all broken…without exception. Jesus died to heal the brokenness and restore us. I decide what I will do with my brokenness. There are two choices.
I can acknowledge my brokenness and allow it to become my strength. When I meet Jesus in my places of woundedness, he restores and heals. These experiences create beauty and strength in my life.
I can ignore the brokenness and it becomes my excuse, my weapon, the reason I don’t thrive. I wield the brokenness like a sword, slashing anyone who comes near and dares to cross my boundary. Or I remain a victim. My failure to thrive is not my fault as I recall the injustices of the past and settle more deeply into my place of brokenness.
It is your choice. Do you want your brokenness to be your strength and beauty or your excuse and weapon?
Thriving means freedom. Freedom to be who I am meant to be, in the place I am, with the gifts I received, fulfilling his good plan for me. It is being the very best version of the one God created me to be.
I have wondered at times how I ended up in North America, in the United States, in Indiana, the daughter of a farmer and his wife, the sixth child of seven. Deuteronomy 32:8 and Acts 17:26 both remind me that my time and place were determined by God at creation. It is for me to recognize and receive with gratitude.
Just as he determined the boundaries of my time on earth, he determined my gender, Genesis 1:27; the shape of my physical body, Psalm 139:13-16; my particular abilities/talents/gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and the good work he set me apart to do, Jeremiah 1:5. He hasn’t missed a single detail.
Any one of the aforementioned qualities of my life can be a stumbling point. We live in a broken world that is being restored to its intended glory, but it is not yet restored completely. Until it is, we experience difficulty along the way.
What we do with our brokenness is the topic for tomorrow, but for today, examine the provisions mentioned above. Are any of these difficult for you to acknowledge and receive with gratitude? When I reject these provisions, I am in survival mode, never knowing the fullness of God’s plan for me. How can you come to a place of gratitude and begin living God’s best plan for you?
In order to thrive, we need more than air, water, nutrients, sleep and shelter. Hope is a necessary ingredient to thriving as well as being tethered to Someone who will guide us to our greatest potential.
In addition, community is essential to thrive. This morning I received a 7 a.m. wake up call. It was okay. I didn’t sleep the night before so I was already awake. My daughter called and said her oldest daughter had a skin affliction that looked less like a rash and more like something contagious. I said, “I’ll be right over.”
Finley spent the morning with me and then I did something I haven’t done in decades – I took her to see the doctor. The visit to the doctor required a visit to the pharmacy. I was delighted to help, but really relieved that I was the grandma and not the momma.
As I served my daughter and son-in-law in this way today, I was reminded how desperately we need community. And not just people to call at the last minute, but genuine community who will step up to surround us with no judgment.
Who is in your life that needs genuine affection? Is there anyone you could delight in honoring today? In order to thrive, we need genuine community free of judgment.
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
The thief’s purpose is the steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10
In order to thrive, we need hope. Without hope, we will spiral into survival mentality and never live the rich and satisfying life that Jesus desires for us.
We also need to be tethered. We are currently in a sermon series at church entitled, “Tethered.” Pastor Jay Shetler uses a kite to illustrate that in order to thrive we need to be tethered to something greater than ourselves. Think of a kite. If a kite is lifted on the wind and then let go to drift where it wants, it nose dives to the ground. In order for a kite to reach its maximum potential and soar on the wind, it has to be tethered to a hand that guides it and keeps it steady.
The same is true of us. When we follow Jesus, we are invited to soar, to live a rich and satisfying life, to thrive! But we will not thrive unless we are connected to the One who created us. Our identity needs to be firmly seated in the truth of scripture. From this place of safety, we will soar and truly thrive.
Are you tethered to your Creator? Does his hand gently guide you, leading you to the places where you will reach your maximum potential? Or have you wriggled free from his control? Are you sensing a nose diving coming on? Perhaps you are already in that downward spiral.
In a couple of weeks, I am speaking at the spiritual renewal week at a local Christian high school. The theme is “We Were Made to Thrive” based on Casting Crowns song, “Thrive.”
There is a phrase in the songs that says, “It’s time for us to do so much more than just survive.” So I begin with the questions, “what does it take to survive? If we were made to thrive, what does that look like?”
There are five elements necessary for human survival: air (oxygen), water, nutrients, shelter and sleep. In extreme conditions, a person can go without oxygen for 3 minutes, after 5 minutes brain damage occurs, with irreversible damage in under 10 minutes.
Who knew shelter was so important?! In extreme cold or heat, the body will react with body temperatures too high or low to maintain life in just three hours.
Of course, we know that food is necessary for survival. Truth be known, most of us consume more than is necessary for survival and after missing a meal we might be caught moaning, “I am starving!” But really a person can go three weeks without food. The body essentially uses the stored fat and then muscle to sustain functions.
And sleep…24 hours with no sleep results in headaches. After 72 hours of no sleep, memory is impaired; 96 hours without sleep, cognition is impaired and after 144 hours without sleep, hallucinations begin.
In order to just survive as a human, we need these five things. But that only brings us to a point of survival. I would add three additional components to thrive in survival: human touch, personal space and sanitation.
Studies show that human touch is necessary for early growth and development of healthy humans. As much as we need touch and caress, we also need space to avoid chaos and overcrowding. And finally, sanitation. In the long term, proper sanitation is necessary to avoid contamination by human waste.
So, if we have all these things, we can survive. But will we thrive? What does it take to thrive in life?
As I have pondered this question, I am on high alert to anything that speaks to survival or thriving. Inspiration has come in the form of movies, blog posts and songs. This week, I would like to explore what thriving looks like because we were made to more than survive.
John 10:10 makes it clear to me that we were meant to more than survive. As Jesus teaches the disciples using the metaphor of the sheepfold, the shepherd and the sheep, he says the thief has come to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life! That sounds like thriving to me.
I don’t know about you, but I want rich and satisfying! I don’t want to just survive, I want to thrive. We began this week with a brief look at hope. I believe to thrive, we need hope. Hope is more than just wishing for something to happen. Biblical hope, the kind we receive from the Holy Spirit is confident trust with the expectation of fulfillment. It is something to put your feet on, drive a stake into and build your life around.
If you want to more than survive, join me this week as I explore what it means to THRIVE! It might look exactly like we expect; it might have elements that surprise us. But no matter what we discover, I know it will fill us with joy and peace, because that is who Jesus is.
Until next time…
May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
While I quilt, I like to watch something. Last night I chose The Hunger Games. This isn’t my first time viewing them, but as happens, I caught something new this time through.
After the tributes from the 12 Districts are chosen, Katniss Everdeen, the volunteer from District 12 begins to ignite hope in the people of the other districts by her uncharacteristic way of covertly challenging the leaders of the games. This concerns President Snow.
He is right, you know! Hope is greater than fear. Hope gives us the courage to face difficult challenges with expectation of positive outcomes. President Snow knew that if Katniss spread hope to all the districts that Capitol authority could be challenged, his hold on the people would end.
We need hope today. Hope that there is good in the world. Hope that we can achieve dreams. Hope that there is a better tomorrow. Hope that we matter. Hope that we can make a difference.
God is the source of hope. When we place our trust in him, he fills us with peace and joy. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can expect to overflowwith confident hope!
In the story of the flood, God looked at the wickedness of man and it broke his heart. To get the full picture, read Genesis 6-8. When the flood waters receded, the dove brought back an olive branch. A symbol for Noah.
An olive branch is a symbol of peace. I chose the olive branch to represent this blog because I want it to be a place you, the reader, can step into for a few moments of peace in a world filled with chaos.
Extending an olive branch is a symbol of making peace, the willingness to work through an issue that could potentially be divisive.
As you step out of your weekly routine into a day set aside for worship, rest and reflection, extend an olive branch to someone. And that someone might be yourself.
A while back I perceived I had a falling out with a dear friend. I contemplated reaching out through a letter a few months ago, but did not do it.
Every once in a while it would come back to me. I pondered it and then pushed it to the back of my mind. This week, perhaps due to the challenge from another friend (see Daily Reads 10.10.2019) I decided to reach out. If I was pushed away, then I would know.
I reached out. My friend responded. The relationship is restored.
Who can you reach out to today? Is restoration just a click away?
Once in a while, Dave and I disagree. And as we discuss whatever the issue might be, we begin to polarize. You know, I go to the extreme end of my point of view, he goes to the extreme end of his. If we aren’t careful, some small point of contention becomes a full blown fight.
It is helpful for me to remember that Dave and I are on the same team. So, I say it out loud. I put my fist out and say, “Go team!” He responds with a fist bump and a “go team” in return. Usually this de-escalates whatever is threatening to spin out of control and we can resume the discussion in a more civil manner.
In the reading today, Paul reminds us that we are on the same team. There is one body, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit. It is significant that he included this reminder on the tail of his encouragement to be kind to one another.
Many times the things that separate us are the things that should bind us together. What is separating you from those closest to you? What makes kindness difficult?
Maybe a reminder that you are on the same team is in order. Much like teams before they walk onto the field or court to play the game, gather up and give your team a shout of unity!
A friend shared this story with me. Ten years ago she had out of town family visiting. On the last night they would be in town, she invited her other children for one last evening of fun. She busily made dinner, all the while helping her daugther with a baby that had turned fussy. Late in the afternoon, a family member called and asked if they could bring an unexpected visitor with them to dinner. My friend, overwhelmed and exhausted, said no.
Years later, this still bothered her. As she asked God to show her anything that needed to be cleared up in her life, anything that was in the way, he clearly brought this event to her mind. As she reflected on the event, she realized she had not been kind and it really wouldn’t have been a big deal to include this stranger in their family gathering. She knew who she needed to talk to, but was reticent to make the phone call.
As the Lord would have it, one day the individual walked into the cafe where she was having lunch. She knew this was orchestrated by God, so she summoned her courage and spoke to the man. She explained she needed to ask forgiveness for being unkind, and reminded him of the past event. The young man remembered nothing of the event and assured her of his forgiveness toward her.
As my friend and I processed this together, we wondered why it was so important for her to clear this up if the offended party didn’t even remember. I don’t know that we received any clear inspiration about it, but we did recognize that kindness matters. When we are unkind, it makes a deposit in our heart. That deposit sits and festers, creating fertile soil for the enemy’s seeds to grow. I believe the Lord wanted to clean up this messy spot before it could hinder my friend.
We also recognized that, even though the offended party didn’t remember, God had seen it and wanted my friend to be free of the guilt the unkindness had left behind. The only way to do that was to acknowledge it and allow forgiveness to wash it away.
Maybe the Lord has been speaking to you about some unkind act you did in the past. Don’t waste time in making it right, even if the offended party doesn’t remember. After all, if it’s festering in your heart, it is hindering your walk.
Out of the Chaos 