Striving and thriving are two very different ways of living and illustrate the difference between merely being alive to living a life in abundance and the latter is exactly what Christ came to give (John 10:10). Choosing to live and love is one of the fundamental driving forces between surviving and thriving; and the bridge between these two states of living is called completeness – the belief and affirmation that you are whole in and through God. Transitioning to a thriving lifestyle requires a conscious change in perspective and mind-set but it is undoubtedly the most liberating process you can endure.
Evaluate your source…
When our energy sources are in insecure and finite objects, people and circumstances it is inevitable for us to experience a gradual decrease in our enthusiasm for life. A survivor’s mentality understands that it is important for them to remain alive, they may not know how or even why but they sense the importance in holding on. The survivor becomes a ‘thrivor’ once they recognise their destiny and God-given purpose which is why our energy sources must be rooted in the Truth. You are not just important but you are also extremely valuable.
Where there is desire, there is a flame…
The renewal of our Spirit to reflect our infinite Life Source and awesome Father ignites a desire that burns passionately. However, we are often told to ignore our hearts as a precaution to disappointment, with a fear that our hearts and emotions will lead us in the wrong direction. But what if we realised that once we align our thoughts to that of the Creator’s, He will seal those intense passions and desires on our heart, which sometimes even seem unquenchable, to keep the fire burning for Him and for Life. Killing your passion and desires can often kill the very essence of what keeps us thriving.
Be a verb…
The purpose of this burning desire is to ignite an action. Alongside speaking Life, God is a doer –we just have to look back at Genesis and the beginning of Creation to see this. He spoke a word into existence and then He acted on it and created. Similarly we are called to be verbs and to be fruitful. A thriving mentality is proactive. It requires you to set your sails in a new direction whereby you are no longer hopelessly blown or reactive to the winds of circumstance.
Living with open palms leaves us available, making us ready to receive as well as release. We live in a world that is extremely fixated on milestones that we can often find that we are holding our breath until we reach the next landmark. We don’t grow by ticking off boxes on our to-do or to-get list; we flourish and thrive by searching and embracing the beauty in the experience and process. Hope, faith and most importantly Love keeps you thriving because what is the point in just having life if we have the option of having it in abundance!
Written by Dorcas Kissi
@MissDKissi