Grow, Risk, Thrive! (Summer series: 2019)
Several years ago I staggered down a Paris street under a load that made me look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I wondered what had possessed me to come on a trip where I had to carry everything on my back. My neck bulged, my shoulder blades met in the middle, and I struggled to reach around my backpack to hoist it up."Are you okay, Mom?" asked Malaika, my twenty-something daughter, as I trudged single file behind her through throngs of tourists. "Sure, I'll make it," I muttered through clenched teeth.And I did. In fact, once I ignored the feeling that I was about to keel over and lie wedged in a Paris gutter for the rest of my life, I swelled with justifiable pride. Here I am, I thought, a middle-age woman, backpacking for the first time in my life. And I'm not just surviving, I'm doing great. I'm really able to do this. Whoever would have thought it possible?Accomplishing something I never envisioned myself doing was exhilarating. I had pushed myself beyond my own self-imposed limits and beliefs about my capabilities. Not only did I discover I could do more than I thought, my appetite for challenging myself was whetted.
Thriving Requires Action
Taking risks and being willing to stretch yourself beyond what's familiar is one way to thrive in the adventure of life. But how do we thrive on the routine days? Are there some essentials we need to know and practice on a regular basis?Here’s the first essential we all need. Watch for more in the next two blogs.
Cultivate Your Relationship with God
Research shows that people who are actively religious are happier than those who aren't. Other studies affirm that a sense of well-being comes from living out your values--knowing what really matters to you and putting it into practice.If you want to thrive spiritually in the years ahead, take an honest look at where you are in your relationship with God today. Do you need to regain that deep sense of well-being that comes from a close walk with God?
To spark a sluggish spiritual life:
Dump the Lone Ranger syndrome.
Determine to meet regularly with a small group, or simply one other woman.
Invite some friends for a weekly get-together so you can love, encourage, pray with, and support each other.
Suggest a simple but stimulating Bible Study: Order one of my Bible Studies: Speaking Wisely, or Wisdom for Today’s Woman. Both are good discussion starters.
If your prayer life needs perking up, choose a book on that subject! It will really help!
Decide who you’ll invite.
Decide when you’ll contact them.
Decide where and when to meet and for how long.
Now go do it!
Praying you will Grow, Risk, and Thrive this summer!
Poppy
For further insights read my book, I'm Too Young to Be This Old.
Photo credit: GraphicStock Photos