Here’s some brutal honesty: I am not where I want to be in life—at all. Maybe you can relate. My environment, status, and life progression are not where or at the level I would like them to be.
And maybe you can agree with this next statement: if I had it my way, my life would be very different—much better.
But how bold would it be to assume that we could ever come up with a plan that is any greater, any better than what God has for us? We know that nothing we ever plan for ourselves can compare to what God has for us in His will for our lives.
I know that. Yet, here I find myself in a space that I believe God has put me in. And it is not favorable. It is not special or exciting. It’s not impressive. In fact, I can give you a list of 20 things I dislike about the place and season I’m in.
But this is where God has me.
We go through seasons like this. Sometimes, God leads us into uncomfortable, unfavorable positions. It might be that we are living in an environment we don’t want to be in, working at a job we hate, or being forced to interact with people we do not like on a daily basis. And we’re slowly going insane. And it feels like there is nothing we can’t do about it.
One morning during my devotional, I complained to God: “I don’t like being here. I don’t like where I am. Can you literally put me anywhere else but here?” Do you know how He replied?
“You are allowed to thrive,”
At first I wasn’t sure what He meant. It didn’t make sense. Thrive? In an environment that I hate? How?Then He gave me a scripture: Jeremiah 29. I’m sure many of us are familiar with verse 11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11.
However, this is the chapter where God told the Israelites that He was going to send them into exile for 70 years. A harsh sentence for the way they had been living.
But then, God showed me the passages before verse 11. Even though he sentenced them to exile, He told them to build houses, to make themselves at home. To plant gardens and eat. To marry and have children. He gave them permission to thrive.
“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
Jeremiah 29:5-7 (NLT)
Yes, in the middle of slavery. In the middle of a foreign land, and a foreign people and government. They were encouraged to find ways thrive.
In the midst of uncomfortable situations—situations that maybe we put ourselves in and maybe we didn’t—even when we are not where we would like to be, God’s favor still surrounds us, and He gives us permission to thrive.
You have permission to thrive.
Right where you are. There are things we can do and actions we can take to flourish and be who God calls us to be, no matter what our environment looks or feels like. We have permission to thrive.
So, get up, girl! Don’t let your circumstances make you stagnant. Don’t become hopeless, and don’t let disappointment overtake you. Wake up every day, and let yourself thrive.
Dr. Dharius Daniels puts it this way: Thriving is doing the best you can with what you have. That’s what you’ve got to do—the best you can. Use whatever the environment you’re in has to offer.
Are you stuck at a job you don’t like? That’s okay. Get there on time, do good work, and look good while doing it.
Are you forced to be around people you’re not too fond of? It’s alright. Have small conversations with them and bond over shared interests and experiences.You’re forced to live in a city you don’t like? Cool, go out and explore the restaurants, the events, and the stores. Don’t stop yourself from enjoying life and being the best version of yourself just because things aren’t exactly how you want them.
My favorite part of the passage is the verse that God promises that as soon as the 70 years are up, He will come back for the Israelites, take them out of exile, and bring them home.
This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
Jeremiah 29:10
We can thrive where we are because we know this is not our destination. When the time is right, God will open doors and opportunities for us to experience better.
We can thrive in the present while extending hope for the future. In fact, the book of Jeremiah repeatedly uses the phrase “the time is coming…” Part of thriving is trusting that God has something greater in store.
Later in the chapter, God says that when they call on Him, He will listen. When they seek Him, they will find Him. We can be confident that in uncomfortable situations, God is still with us. He is still with you. He sees you, and if you need Him, He’s there.
So I encourage you, if you’re in a season of exile—a season of being in a place you don’t want to be—to find ways to flourish anyway. Look for ways to cultivate the joy within you. It is possible. Allow yourself to thrive.
