Thriving

As you enter into Lent are you thriving or just surviving? What’s the difference between the two? Well, surviving means that you are merely alive and not yet dead. It is a grim outlook on life where you are just barely getting by. When we are in survival mode, we do what we have to do to keep going. It is a struggle everyday. Thriving, however, is living and growing abundantly.

Look at the picture above. Is it a picture of a garden merely surviving or is it thriving? I love this picture. Although it might not be a tidy garden with everything in its place and organized. There is no doubt that it is thriving. The plants look lush and the colors are vibrant. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the way we expected life to be, that we often deny ourselves what we need to truly thrive.

The Garden of Eden is described in the creation story as a place where the fullness of peace, prosperity, transparency, and intimacy with God was intended for us from the beginning. It is also where we refused God’s direction for our lives and begin to make our own path. The story illustrates how we often choose what we think is best for us and how the consequence of our shortsighted vision leads us to struggle. In order to thrive we must seek to restore in the garden which is the kingdom to come. Our spiritual work this Lent starts from a real belief in the lavish abundance of God’s prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace signified by Eden. Join us this Sunday in worship as we explore how the Garden of Eden reveals God’s grace and desire for our lives.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church