Prosper

pros·per  (pros'per)

intr.v.pros·pered, pros·per·ing, pros·pers

To be fortunate or successful, especially in terms of one's finances; thrive.

 

 

 Prosper. Everyone's heard the word at one point or another.

I know one thing that jumps into my head when I think prosper...

Yes, you thought it too, didn't you? Money. Lots of money shows you're prospering!

Or so the world says.

Yes, money is important. It's needed to survive in this day and age. But if you don't have a lot of money, does that mean you're not prospering? 

Absolutely not!

 

Life is all about perspective. What we deem very important, important, less important, or unimportant. Everyone has a view on everything because we are humans, we can't help but make an opinion on everything we've ever encountered. For example:

I still remember to this day going to a veeeery nice steakhouse called Ruth's Chris when I was a lot younger. I remember them bringing the steak out to me. It still sizzled and popped because the plate and the steak were so hot. That steak melted in my mouth and was amazingly tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned. It is to this day the best steak I've ever had. I have formed that opinion and that view until that opinion and view is changed if ever a better steak makes it's way onto my plate.

I'm sure if you were to think of everything you've ever come across in your life that you can remember, and you will have a view on it.

Perspective is a powerful thing.

You know, last time I wrote my blog post about living long, I was writing it at 3 am (just couldn't sleep) and all of a sudden as I'm typing away on my computer in bed I hear a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass. Yes, I did jump and my first thought was my cat has gone and jumped up on the counter and knocked over something breakable. Well I climb out of bed and make my way to the living room, I don't see anything broken, so I walk over to the kitchen. Somehow, someway, my wall clock fell off the wall and the glass face shattered on the kitchen floor. So I stop my blogging to grab a broom and dustpan and I sweep up the shards (after putting on some shoes). I return to blogging, finish up and go to sleep. So I sleep, wake up that morning and then go and vacuum the kitchen floor since my vacuum has a hard floor setting. Yay, all safe! I was in a somewhat okay mood so I decided to do the dishes (haha.) Well I start loading up the dishwasher and not paying full attention to detail, I hit a drinking glass on a hard part of the dishwasher and yes, you guessed it. It broke. Oh the frustration. I carefully throw the glass away and clean up the shards in the dishwasher and finish loading the dishes.

I had hit my limit then and it wasn't even 9am. I slept terribly, my clock broke, I had to clean up the glass at 3-something-am, slept terribly till I woke up again, now when I decide to do the dishes more glass breaks!

At this point, I am ashamed to say, I was complaining away in my head. I mean, I was frustrated. I was pretty tired and I was surely tired of cleaning up shards of glass. 

The complaining and frustration had made me hungry. I decided on a bowl of cheese grits with some eggs.

I take out the carton of eggs to grab a couple to cook (remember I'm still complaining in my head) and I open the carton and right there on the inside of the carton was written;

"For this is the day that the Lord has made;

 I will be glad and rejoice in it." - Psalms 118:24

 

I laughed. I laughed a great laugh because God just trolled me with an egg carton. Right then and there my perspective on my morning was changed in an instant. Why was I complaining? I felt ashamed. I smiled and thanked God for how truly blessed I was. I sang worship songs the rest of the time I cooked.

That's just one personal example of how perspective effects our way of thinking which effects our every day lives.

Any-who I've gotten a little off beat about prospering. What I'm trying to get at is prospering means more than having money. Prospering also means to thrive. I think that can be applied to how we view what we do have in our life and how we value what we have. We aren't prospering much in the money department, but our friends, family and happiness departments are overflowing! You form an opinion on everything in your life, so in your opinion is having money more prosperous than having family? or friends? or happiness? or a right relationship with God?

I think everyone is prospering in some way or another. Some of my friends have such an infectious joy you can't be unhappy around them! My other friends are so supportive out here in Oklahoma since none of my family is close that I feel like they are family. My family is loving and supportive from afar and cares about me. God is always there, reminding me when I'm less than happy that I should rejoice and be glad because I really don't have a reason not to!

I am one overly blessed woman who is prospering! 

 

If you don't feel like you're prospering I implore you to check your perspective on everything. I guarantee you are prospering in one way or another! There's a saying, "count your blessings", and when times get hard it's a good one to remember because I bet you can't count them all! God is too good. All the time. Just know next time you complain, if you have eyes to see, or ears to hear, or an open heart to receive, God may just speak to you through an egg carton. (;

 

Happy prospering, and thanks for reading!

 

God bless America and our troops!