Recently I learned of a medical term "failure to thrive." It is used to describe infants, small children and the elderly who are fragile. The medical community uses this term to describe a situation that occurs when they are unable to determine why an individual is not progressing toward normal healthy living. Life seems to be at a standstill.
Lately life has been tough. Some days I just get tired of pushing forward. But I know I'm either thriving and pushing forward or I'm standing still and failing to thrive.
In fact Apostle Paul writes that the mark of Christian maturity is that we continue to grow and move forward. This term "failure to thrive" describes us when adverse winds may blow in our storms and we give up. But Paul tells us that God guides us to set our sails and get to a place of thriving. In Ephesians he writes that we can go on in the direction we are supposed to be going no matter what adverse winds are blowing around us.
The Olympics inspired me to think of pressing through the pain. Paul tells it this way "straining forward to what lies ahead." The runners I saw on TV were single-eye focused on the finish line.
Nearing the end, nothing gets to the runner at that point:
- crowds cheering or booing
- a crowd or no crowd
- is it cold or hot
She or he is focused on one thing: the finish line. My question is "do I see God's destiny for me?" That is my finish line...when I know it and see it, I can thrive; no matter what.
Got any ideas on failure to thrive in your life?
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