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Thriving while Surviving

God didn't send us down here to just survive, he sent us to earth to thrive!

What does that mean?  

I honestly think it will be different for each on of us, but for me it means I can find peace even on the hard days.  

Five years ago my life changed drastically!  Not only did I buy a gymnastics gym and become a full time worker along with raising my young family, I also was in a car wreck and began to deal with chronic illnesses and pain.  The same year God gave me what he knew would bring me great joy, I was also dealt with challenges that changed a lot about be.  From those challenges I flipped into fight and flight response and I've been living each day just trying to survive.  

There have been days during the last 5 years that I felt like I had been dropped into the Hunger Games and everyone was out to get me.  But there were also days I felt I was in the days of Christ seeing his daily miracles and feeling I was walking on water.  There were even days where the pain was overbearing, yet I felt peace.

Have you ever been in a tornado?  Alabama is in tornado ally and every year we would have tornado season. I remember as a little girl the storms coming and sirens blaring, mom would get us downstairs and then she would head back up stairs to watch.  My anxiety could never handle it.  I would freak out and beg her to come back downstairs.  But she always knew we would be okay.  She become in tune with the storm as it was passing.  She had learned to watch for certain signs to know which were worth staying down in the basement or which ones she was safe to watch roll by us.  She seemed to love watching the storms (maybe this wasn't true, but it seemed that way to me as child).  She found beauty in the cloud formations and colors.  She never seemed to panic or be fearful.  She knew what she needed to do and when she needed to take shelter and because of that she didn't need to survive tornado season, she was able to thrive during it.

We are all going to have storm seasons in our lives.  Anytime things seem to be going well and moving along, know that a storm is brewing.  It's just that little bit of calm before the storm.  But we don't need to be fearful and full of anxiety about the storms of life.  We just need to do what my mom did, become in tune with the storms.  Listen to what the storm is telling us.  Watch for the signs of which ones we need to take shelter from or ask others for help and which ones we can watch safely pass by (doesn't mean there won't be any damage, just means we are safe).

Peter teaches us the best about thriving in Matthew 14.  Here are the lessons I learn from him:

1. Change my perspective
    • When Peter choose to jump out of the boat to walk with Christ, the waves were already there.  The storm was already brewing.  But he didn't want to be victim to the storm.  He wanted to face it.  He wanted to move forward.
    • Any time I begin to feel like I'm in the Hunger Games means that I'm looking at life as the victim.  I normally am letting my actions be controlled by my anxiety and fear.  I can remind myself that I don't need to panic and my anxiety doesn't need to flip into fight and flight response.  I choose my life - not my anxiety and fear!!  I choose to conquer!
2. What am I focused on? 
    • Peter had ever right to panic.  It says the waves were bigger than him.  But as soon as he panicked it meant his focus wasn't on Christ, it was on the waves.  When I'm panicking in life its because I'm focused on the wrong thing.  I'm focused on everything around me and not who is in front of me.  
3.  Call out for help
    • As soon as I turn to the Lord for help, he will be there right next to my side.  In Matthew 14:31 it says, "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him...."  Christ will IMMEDIATELY come!!
4. Walk with Jesus
    • When the storm hits, don't try to walk alone.  If you do, you will sink!  You will always be in survival mode.  But if you choose as Peter did and walk back to the boat with Christ, hand in hand, you can thrive in the storm!

God really wants us to be happy in this life.  He wants us to thrive and be able to enjoy all aspects of life - including the storms.  He's given us all the tools we need to enjoy.  We just need to open our eyes!  We need to come to love the journey we are on. 




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