How to Flourish as a Christian Woman
As women, caring for others can consume all our time and energy. This can leave us feeling unfulfilled and empty. As Christian women, we may even feel that it is our ‘job’ and our Christian duty to care for others. We may feel guilty if we don’t do it or don’t do it up to our own and others’ expectations. As a result, we often make our personal desires and wellbeing appear insignificant. We may even abandon our Christian pursuit of personal development and excellence, for the sake of caring for others. If we don’t take care, this may weigh us down and could even lead to indifference to our personal calling.
However, God is interested in our whole being. Yes, He wants us to care for others (as much as He expects this from every child of God). But He also wants us to care for ourselves. He loves us and wants us to flourish
How then can we, as Christian women, flourish in the line of duty?
The godly flourishes
God promises in His Word that we will flourish. More specifically, we will flourish like palm trees, and become strong as the cedars of Lebanon. As Christian women, we can count ourselves among the godly. We are God’s daughters. And since God cannot lie, it means we will flourish; regardless of our opinion about it.
“But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.” Psalm 92:12 (NLT)
Flourish like a Palm tree
What does flourish as a palm tree mean? Let’s have a look at Palm trees. Palm trees can live to be hundreds of years old. To live long, you need to be strong. When we flourish like Palm trees, we derive our strength from God. Strength to endure. The size of a Palm tree varies hugely according to the species. The same among humans, we are not all the same. Even though we will all flourish like Palm trees, we will not flourish in the same way. Therefore, don’t look at the way someone else flourishes and then judge (or complain about) your own flourishing. Palm trees can grow in loose sand -on beaches- where other trees have no chance to survive, and they can grow in solid ground. No matter where God plants us, no matter the condition of the soil, He will enable us to grow exactly where we are.
The most distinctive feature of a Palm tree, however, is that they don’t bend nor break under strong winds. They can withstand storms! Do you know what happens when it’s under pressure? The roots grow deeper and make the tree even stronger. And that’s what flourishing like a Palm tree truly is. It means standing tall during tests and in the storms of life, no matter the duration of it.
We can flourish in the line of duty, in exciting and in boring circumstances, when we are appreciated and when we go unnoticed, in rough situations and in calm seas, under pressure and when life smiles at us, when we are young and when we are old. No matter what the condition is, we can flourish in life. The more we bloom like this, the more our roots grow deep (deep in the Father’s love) and the more strength we receive, strength like a Cedar tree.
Strong as Cedars
The verse also says we will grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. Cedars are symbols of power and longevity. Revered by civilizations for thousands of years, the Cedar of Lebanon is a rare wood with a natural luster and distinctive, long-lasting odor. And that’s how God made us women. He made us precious, with a natural luster, distinctive in our being, and with an enduring release of fragrance. As Christian women, we spread the fragrance of Christ.
The Bible describes the Cedar tree as strong and durable (Isaiah 9:10), graceful and beautiful (Psalm 80:10, Ezekiel 17:23), high and tall (Amos 2:9, Ezekiel 17:22), fragrant (Song of Solomon 4:11), and spreading wide (Psalm 80:10-11).
This beautiful description applies to us as well when we find our strength in God. With our roots in Christ, we will become strong, graceful, and beautiful. Rooted deep in God’s love, we can stand tall in the storms of life, spread our branches in the variety of things we do, and produce a sweet-smelling fragrance of love.
When do we flourish?
The godly flourishes. That is clear now. The question is, are there conditions attached to it? Should we fulfill anything before we will flourish? Or will we flourish anyhow? Psalm 92 answers that question clearly in its next verse (verse 13):
“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
There is indeed one requirement before we can flourish: being planted in the House of the Lord. When we are rooted firmly in His Word and spend time with God daily, we will automatically bloom and grow. Being in someone’s house means you are close to that person. And exactly that is how God wants us to live: close to Him. It is the only thing that He requires from us. He will do the rest when we faithfully obey Him, follow Him, and apply His word in our daily living.
The interesting thing is that we, as Christian women, can live in God’s House and be in His courtyards in everything we do. It doesn’t mean we should have a ministry function first or a special call on our lives. Neither does being in His House literally mean dwelling in a church building. No. Simply in our everyday line of duty, we can stay in His presence and live based on our Christian identity.
Should we do specific things to flourish?
We may think that our daily chores are not part of God’s work, and don’t qualify for blessings. We may feel insignificant when we compare ourselves with others who vividly and visibly labor in God’s Kingdom. However, that is not how God sees it. He doesn’t make any distinction among the type of work we do, whether serving at home, working for a boss, being self-employed, or having a formal position in a church.
All He wants us to do is give all we have. He gave us the strength and the capability to work. We must use it.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10a (NKJV)
Take-away
Regardless of who we are or what we do, God’s Word promises us we will flourish when we remain in Christ, firmly rooted in the foundation of our faith.
We can trust God’s unfailing and never-ending love, no matter what the seasons bring. No matter where we are in life, no matter what our daily activities are, no matter whether people regard us for all that we do or not, we can decide to stay in the House of the Lord and trust in God. It is then that we will flourish like Palm trees and be strong as the Cedars of Lebanon. And it is then that we will be like the Olive tree, living in and spreading God’s peace.
“But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.” Psalm 52:8 (NLT)
We can thrive in every season of life by:
Trusting God: we bloom when we trust in God’s steadfast and loyal love—every day, in every season.
Thanking God: we blossom when we thank God for what He has done for us in the past, knowing He will be faithful in the present and the future. Knowing that He will take us through.
Waiting on God: we flourish when we wait on Him to fulfill His eternal purpose in each season of life.
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