As we are talking about “Thriving in 2025,” and how we do that, the question God has placed on my heart all week is….

“Do you thrive alone or together?”

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Ephesians 4:16

This verse undeniably demonstrates that together we grow and build each other up as each one of us is INTERDEPENDENT on each other. 

The I in THRIVE is INTERDEPENDENT!

We need to be together, not alone, in order to grow, build each other up and THRIVE!

Interdependence in the body of Christ is vital for Christian growth and THRIVING because it reflects the biblical principle that all believers are connected as part of a greater whole!

We contribute to the each other’s spiritual development as we use our gifts and are built up and encouraged by the gifts of others!

Just as a human body relies on all its parts to function properly, God’s children, you and I, THRIVE when believers support, encourage, and BUILD ONE ANOTHER UP! 

This mutual dependence fosters an environment where individuals can grow in grace, knowledge, and holiness. The diverse gifts and roles within the body allow for a more complete expression of Christ’s love and purpose! In being together we help each other to mature in our relationship with God and His call on our life!

I believe that INTERDEPENDENCE  helps us experience both personal growth and collective growth and leads us to THRIVE and flourish as we become all God created us to be!

TRUTH BOMB

ISOLATION KILLS BUT INTERDEPENDENCE BUILDS!

INTERDEPENDENCE not only builds us up and creates unity among believers, but it also helps us develop an intimate and right relationship with God!

So let’s continue to thrive in 2025 as we work on becoming interdependent with God first, and others next!

Speak Truth Love

If you don’t push through the Mondays, you never get to Tuesday. And if you keep going, Tuesday leads to Wednesday, and Wednesday leads to Thursday, and Friday, and finally, the weekend!  However, if you don’t push through, the weekend never comes!

 A Monday may not be your favorite day of your week, but it is necessary to accomplish your purpose. We can’t give up. To reap the rewards of a weekend, we must keep stepping forward and doing good through the week.

  I have had a front row seat to watch my husband do just this, for the past 5+ years. He set a goal to get his doctorate, and never looked back. He never stopped researching, and writing, and revising, and submitting, and revising some more! The waiting process for doctoral committee members to read his work, call for revisions, called for great patience and endurance. He never gave up and he never stopped working. But the frustration of working and the tedious cycle of revisions brought many “Mondays” into his life. 

  The verse that rings true for the incredible amount of work that he did, and set an example for me is: “Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will REAP a harvest, if you do not give up.”  

Galatians 6:9.

Last Wednesday, he reached the pinnacle of his hard work, diligence, and doing good in never giving up. He defended his dissertation, and he passed! He will receive his doctorate! He will reap the benefit of his hard work, perseverance, and long suffering.

I am one incredibly proud wife! But I am also one incredibly impacted child of God. I am thankful to him for the example he has set for me to live out this verse in my life, to never give up, to continue striving and doing good, so that I will reap a harvest of the benefits when I do!

The steps that we have to take in order to thrive are not easy. But I believe that God wants us to thrive, and He will enable us to do so when we do not grow weary in doing good: the good that He has for us!  So, if your week was easy, or if your week was hard, don’t give up! If your week felt like a week full of Mondays, don’t give up! Keep on doing good! God will help you thrive in 2025, if you do not give up! 

TRUTH BOMB

You will reap a harvest, if you do not give up!

Speak Truth Love

I love a good rhyme as much as the next guy, but simply finding a word to rhyme with 2025 was not the point that I believe God was trying to get across to me. God was taking the last 4+ years that have truly been an uphill battle in my personal life as He has been teaching me to walk with Him faithfully and said fastly, no matter what my circumstances are! He has been more than faithful and He continues to be! Yet, for the most part, my situation has not changed. 

So His call to thrive in 2025, left me with great anticipation! I had hoped that possibly it would be the end of this driving and straining through difficult situation.

I sprang into my first blog with great enthusiasm!

“Let’s thrive in 2025!” In order to do that, we must have thankful hearts! Hearts that give thanks to God in all things, for all things, and through all things!

Then I got hit extra hard! What I thought would be an end to the difficult circumstances, only proved to heat up!

As I prayed and reached my hands up toward God in worship, and then fall to my knees in prayer, I was soberly reminded through His quiet, still voice that I needed to learn how to thrive in order to thrive in 2025! And for that matter, in any year at any time!

As you may have noticed, there was a pause in my blog posts. Partially because my editor, a.k.a., my daughter, was on a mission trip far on the other side of the world! But in truth, it was also partially due to my feeling of pause in my spirit. Awaiting and seeking and asking, and trusting in what was it that God was truly trying to show me! 

I take God at His word, and I knew that He had told me to thrive in 2025, but that I had omitted a very important word, “HOW?”

I needed to pause and I needed to pray and I needed to ask Him to show me. How can I carry on my challenge? I’ve created an acronym with the word thrive and following through on it every day of this year of 2025.

I was confident after several weeks that I was to carry on the acronym, and that the next letter would be incredibly important! That letter is H. I am to HOPE in all things, at all times, through all circumstances in my God!

“Why so downcast oh my soul? Put your Hope in God.” Psalm 42:5

In a time when God‘s child was discouraged, disappointed, maybe even depressed…He learned to speak these words of Hope to himself, and to turn his eyes toward God, and not toward his circumstances!

God promises to be the lifter of our heads!

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are my God, my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5

When we truly hope in God, our Savior it is not about marinating in the negative difficulties that we are facing now. It is all about looking forward and knowing that God has better days ahead!

Many of you are familiar with this verse and too much of the time we take it out of context! We think that because God has a wonderful future for us that that means everything is going to be great, and we are never going to encounter any problems! That is not at all what God says! He says that when we trust in Him and we look to Him as our Hope he has better days ahead!

“For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah. 29:11

TRUTH BOMB

YOU CAN ALWAYS COPE WHEN YOU HOPE IN THE LORD!

I am still committed to learning how to thrive in 2025! I apologize for the pause, but I pray that you’re still in it with me! Can’t wait to meet you back here as we practice, thanking God and being hopeful in God and looking to the next letter!

Speak Truth Love