JOURNAL PAGES | Flourish

Are you feeling weary? Have you recently faced setbacks or failures that made you believe your life was coming to an end?

Well, maybe you are just like another palm tree or cedar tree trying to grow persistently or trying to thrive in challenging circumstances. Just keep holding on. God will renew your strength. He plans to do that, just come to him.

Have you ever seen a palm tree? Did you know that palm trees can nearly live in every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts?

Some characteristics of Palm trees:

  • Best known and most extensively cultivated plant families.
  • They have been important to humans throughout much of history.
  • Many common products and foods are derived from palms, and
  • One of the most economically important plants.
  • In many historical cultures, palms were symbols for such ideas as victory, peace, and fertility.

How about the Cedar tree of Lebanon? It comes close to Palm trees when it comes thriving in different conditions.

Interestingly, Cedar trees of Lebanon can :

  • Grow in  rocky places
  • Have a natural habitat that is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters.
  • The trees are blanketed by a heavy snow cover at the higher altitudes.
  • It is mainly used for furniture, construction, and handicrafts.

That is why in Psalm 92:12, it says:

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12

This is how God wants us to flourish. Like palm trees that thrive in tropical countries and deserts, God wants us to continue to bear fruit not only during the good times, but also during the tough times. Like the cedar trees growing in rocky places, He want us to stay strong and be of great use.

A person living with God, gets all his nutrients, his food from him. From his word. We get our daily bread from him.

They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 92:13

God loves us. He wants our lives to flourish.

Yes. We all stumble and fall. We get tired, we feel weak, but it says that those who trust in the Lord, will find strength…in Him.

They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92:14-15

Let’s keep growing together. =) Let’s bear fruit until we get old. I admire old and experienced people who continue to inspire and encourage others until their last breath. They use whatever strength they have. I look at myself and dare it to use every energy to declare how great God is. What else will I do with it?

Keep flourishing! =)

14 thoughts on “JOURNAL PAGES | Flourish

  1. We have palm tree at home, that is the only tree that we have in our small garden. When there is a typhoon, kinakabahan ko at baka bumagsak sa bahay. 🙂 My mom is very active in reaching out and sharing God’s word too.

  2. Thanks for sharing this bible verse. There are a lot of times that we feel like its the end and that we already failed and we cant do more na. All we have to do is rest and pray. God is in control. He will never leave us.

  3. Awww this is so inspiring. I have stumbled and fallen many times in my life and yet I’m still here. I like to think I continue to flourish despite life’s many difficulties. I know that God has a reason for everything.

  4. Such nice words to read on a Wednesday morning. I am not truly feeling down, but the past few weeks were not so inspiring. I will always take note of that cedar tree. Ne er had an idea about them, nor the palm tree. Thank you.

  5. I am not the most religious person in the room, but I agree with what you said. There are certain instances in my life right now where I feel like failing or feeling down and these words are exactly what I need as a pick-me-upper 🙂

  6. Reminded me of this verse:

    His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:2-3

    Everything happens for a reason. God’s glory will be displayed most in difficult situation.

  7. Remind ourselves of this:

    For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37

    May our answer to tough times is this:

    “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Luke 1:38

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