Created to FlourishSample

Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think there’d be a woman in the world who wouldn’t want to flourish. For the most part, every person on earth would want to live happy, healthy, purposeful lives. Why do you think the women’s health supplement market is such a booming industry?

When we think of being women who flourish, so often, the first things to jump to mind would be what flourishing looks like externally. We focus on who’s driving the flashiest car, who’s got the best clothes, or who looks like they’ve got it all together.

We get it all back to front!

Flourishing, according to the Bible, isn’t measured by external circumstances, but rather it starts from within and then bears fruit in our external worlds. If flourishing was only dependent on our external circumstances, how would that line up with the lives the early Christians lived? Those who faced death for the sake of the gospel and gave up everything to follow Jesus. When we look at flourishing through the lens of God’s Word, we realise that Biblical flourishing doesn’t come with striving. Rather, we see that Biblical flourishing is dependent on where we draw our strength from and on what or who our source is.

Throughout scripture, God likens us to a bunch of different things, like sheep, children, stones, etc., but the one I want us to focus on when it comes to flourishing is the way God likens our lives to trees.

We know that for trees, the external environment around them can affect them, but ultimately what causes trees to flourish is where they are planted and what their roots draw nutrients from. There’s a reason God chose trees to describe us. He was giving us a picture to help us understand, that yes, what’s happening around you can affect your life but ultimately what’s going to cause you to flourish isn’t your external environment. What will cause you to flourish is where you’re planted and what you’re drawing strength from.

In Psalms 1 and Psalms 92, we see this beautiful analogy in action. We see the Psalmists describing our lives as trees and notice the conditions in which those trees flourish and bear fruit. As we read through these Psalms, why don’t you take a moment for self-reflection and look at your own life to see where you’re drawing strength from and where you are planted?

Are you striving in your own strength to achieve what only comes from drawing strength from God?

Are you trying to use self-help books or relationships, or podcasts to sustain your spirit in the way that it was only designed to get sustenance from God? Our spirits are designed to draw life from God, the source of all life Himself - from His Word, from being in His presence, from being around His people, from worship and being planted in His house. As we draw strength from Him, like a tree that’s planted in the right place and drawing nutrients from the right source, we will bear fruit in every season. Our roots will not wither. Whatever we do will prosper, and we will stay fresh and green.

We will flourish.