Anyone feel as though they are out on the raging sea of life in a leaky life boat and trying to bail water with a sieve?

Life right now with all its challenges, heartaches, pain, illnesses, trials, sorrows and despair is extremely difficult and stressful to say the least. I know firsthand what it’s like to feel as though you are sinking fast with no hope in sight. Sometimes we think that to be able to just survive in this world is enough; but our Lord has promised us LIFE… and have it more abundantly.

I had spent several years homebound, racked in chronic pain and illness taking dozens of prescription medications on a daily basis all having their toll on me physically, mentally, and spiritually. There even was a time I prayed to the Lord that if I was not going to be healed, “then please Lord, take my life!” Out of shear desperation and I’m sure the leading of the Holy Spirit, I opened my bible and glanced down at the passage of scripture in Psalm 42.

As I began to read, I came to verse 4, “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be….” ‘Yes, Lord, I certainly can relate.’ I continued to read, I came to verse 5, “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad?” I stopped right there and I said to myself and to the Lord, ‘Well let’s see…there is….’ And I started to list all the things that had me discouraged and that I was battling at the time. After I was finished venting on the Lord and telling Him how disappointed I was in Him, I continued to read the verse, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” ‘What did I just read?’ I continued to read, “Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness..” I stopped again. I thought to myself, ‘Hum, I need to contemplate on this a while.’ I really didn’t want to think about God’s loving kindness; after all, I did not feel that He had been very loving and kind to me for quite some time now. Then I felt this knot in the pit of my stomach and a yearning in my heart, the next thing I knew I began remembering His kindness toward me! This brought comfort to me along with reassuring thoughts of God’s love and kindness.

David, man after God’s own heart showed me that I can be real with God, share my bitterness, rejection, pain and sorrow openly with God. Yes, the darkness, deep depression and pain had overwhelmed me. But I was reminded once again that though I cannot still the winds of adversity and waves of grief and pain; I know the One who can calm the raging sea– And even while in the midst of my pain and grief, the God of my life, the Rock of my Salvation has not forsaken me because I have made His tender mercies, everlasting truth, and mighty power my Refuge. As the psalmist reminded me as he repeated his thoughts in verse 11, “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” My mind thought of what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 94:19, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” With tears streaming down my cheeks, I chose right then, even though I was still in the midst of the storms of life, I will put my hope and trust in my God and my Savior – I chose to praise Him again, I chose not to be just a survivor, but to THRIVE in whatever state I am in, because my God has brought me life, and to have it more abundantly! (John 10:10).

Dear gracious heavenly Father, if there is someone who is reading this today, and feels like I did, that their hope is gone, and they are discouraged by the challenges and trials of this life; may they be comforted by your Word and loving kindness. May they say as the psalmist wrote, “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” May they find renewed strength and hope in YOU. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

“So I pray that God, who gives you Hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with Hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

This devotion is taken from my devotional serries THRIVE, to view previous devotions on THRIVE, please view my blog and click THRIVE.

Beelieve You Can… THRIVE!

http://michele-risingabove.blogspot.com

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10

When I read the above verse I wonder sometimes how I can do more than just survive. Jesus tells me that He not only came to give me life, but that I can have life more abundantly. How can we have abundant life when there is so much pain and suffering all around? Our prayer lists are longer than our praise list, so how can we live abundantly when so many of us are barely surviving?

I love gardening. I have not been able to garden in a long time due to my chronic illness, but I just love gardens. The love of flowers and vegetation is not enough to make a garden grow and flourish.

Before you begin to garden you have to make a long term commitment that you will daily work your garden so it will grow and thrive. It takes hard work and diligence to keep a garden growing…thriving. You have to till the ground; have just the right mixture of nutrients in the soil; proper amounts of water; pruning; weeding; fertilizer; just the right amount of sunlight and shade. I can remember years ago I would come home from a long day at work and unwind as I took joy at working in my garden. Even while I was digging, pruning, and weeding, I knew that my hard labor would not go in vain, because I knew what the outcome of my labors would be; a beautiful garden for my family to enjoy.

The same is true in our daily lives. We can have life, and have it more abundantly; but it does not mean there will not be suffering, trials, and sorrow along the way. Jesus himself said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Abundant living is how we react to the life or challenges that are given to us right now. The Apostle Peter writes, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But REJOICE, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with EXCEEDING JOY” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

We have one of three options in living our lives:

1) We can give up and wait to die.
2) We can do whatever it takes to just exist or survive in this life.
3) We can choose to live life abundantly – THRIVE!

There is a vast difference between surviving and thriving.

Survive: to remain alive or in existence, to continue to function.

Thrive: to grow vigorously, flourish.

When I ponder the above choices, I choose to THRIVE! I had spent many years believing that surviving was sufficient. Through much prayer and God’s Word, He has revealed to me that I can THRIVE even while going through my pain and trials.

The next several weeks on my blog, Beelieve You Can!; we will examine how we can THRIVE in today’s unsettling world.

I put together an acronym for the word, THRIVE:

Each week we will take a word from the above acronym and examine how it will help us to live abundantly….THRIVE.

No matter the circumstance, we can live rich, radiant, full, joyful, abundant lives. We must be willing to leave the old way of life/thinking behind and go to the source – Jesus Christ and begin to THRIVE! My prayer for you today is that you too will choose to THRIVE!

Beelieve You Can! Michele’s Morsels