Capable of Flourishing | Qualities of Women Who Trust Jesus
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” — Proverbs 11:28
Think back to your 5th grade science fair project and you might recall doing an experiment with flowers like I did. Whether we learned it in 5th grade science or not, there’s a fact all of us have picked up along the way: plants depend on outside resources to grow. They aren’t self-sustaining, and neither are we.
Sometimes I wonder why God created nature the way He did. The way plants and animals alike are all interwoven into each other’s existence and survival. To be sure, our planet’s vegetation has countless benefits to human survival, but one of my favorites is what it teaches us about the dependence of the created on the Creator. For example, each tree, shrub, grass, plant and flower depend on sunlight in order to flourish. Without the sun, our vegetation would be incapable of growth; it would cease to exist.
This is a live action metaphor— a physical phenomenon that echoes a spiritual certainty. Much like a plant’s lack of self-sufficiency, our spiritual health is not determined by anything we can produce on our own. In fact, the apostle Paul speaks of our spiritual state in Ephesians 2 when he says that apart from Christ, we were lifeless. Dead. He goes on to say that it’s because of the riches of GOD’S mercy and HIS great love for us that we have been made alive! Sounds like dependence to me.
Jesus himself talks about this in John 15 when he bluntly tells his disciples (and us) that we can’t do anything apart from him. To paraphrase, He says that we can thrive on our own resources about as well as a branch could thrive without being connected to the tree. He is our source of life. How silly of us to think we could work, eat, sleep, keep the bathroom clean, organize the mountain of paperwork on the counter, pay the bills, stay physically fit, maintain mental health, invest in meaningful relationships, resist temptation, make wise decisions, and be loving and kind to our people without depending on Him every step of the way. We would be like a tree branch trying to flourish detached from the tree. Sounds like dependence to me!
A little grammatical decoding can uncover this message of dependence in Proverbs 11:28, which says, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” I love words. Indulge me for a minute while we break this down to discover something about the meaning of flourishing in this text. This sentence has two independent clauses (here we are back in 5th grade again!). Each clause contains a subject and a predicate. Here’s what it looks like if we break it apart:
What do you notice about the two predicates when you see them stacked? The verbs are in the future tense, right? They matter-of-factly state that something will happen. The person in the first clause comes to a very different outcome than the person in the second clause. In fact, the two outcomes oppose each other: one will fall, but the other will flourish.
When we stack the subjects of each clause, we see something similar. They stand in opposition to each other. The first subject is the person who trusts in his or her riches. This person may find significance in their finances, intellect, beauty, social connections or personality. They compare themselves to others and determine where they rank higher. Once they attach their identity to their perceived areas of wealth, they depend on these resources, all the while unaware of—or denying— the reality that they will inevitably come up short.
The subject of the second clause contains fewer words; they are simply named “the righteous.” This person trusts in something… but it’s something very different than the first subject. The righteous one doesn’t rely on their own resources, their wealth— finances, intellect, beauty, social connections, personality or otherwise. They don’t pretend to have it all together. In humility, they are aware of their need and have made peace with it. When the rigtheous come up short, they aren’t undone, because they trust that God is bigger than their shortcomings.
Depending on Him alone, the righteous trust that God— no matter what the circumstances are around them— will make them survive, grow, and flourish.
Each time we see a tree or plant today, let’s notice how it stretches upward from the earth, reaching ever higher toward the sun, its life-source. Let it be a reminder of our dependence on God. Let it be a moment to pause and acknowledge our need for him, and let’s accept that, in Him alone, we are capable of flourishing.
For Your Journal
Find It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a Bible verse. You can find a verse that fits a current life situation or use the one we used in today’s devotion.
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” — Proverbs 11:28
Fix It:
In this portion of your journal, pull out a few key words from the verse you chose above, or summarize the verse in your own words. Write it in pretty lettering or sketch something that will help you visualize the meaning of the verse and fix it in your mind. Repeat these words to yourself throughout the week to remind you of the truth contained in the scripture. Here are some options:
🌱 (sketch a sprouting plant)
Green leaf
Flourishing starts with dependence
Feel It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of the Bible passage and let it take root in your heart. Ask the Lord to let his word change you by the power of his Spirit. Surrender any areas of your life that you are trying to control.
Jesus, thank you for being clear about my critical need for you. I consistently trick myself into thinking I’m self-sufficient, which only leads to shame and despair when I fall short. Remind me today that you are greater than my short-comings and that your Spirit is with me, providing everything I need for survival and growth. Help me to look outside of myself and my problems so I can make a difference in someone else’s life. As I depend on you, help me to flourish today.