Attempting to settle on one definition for what it means to Truly Flourish at life is a bit of a challenge for a multitude of reasons. Research will have me travel down paths related to happiness one day and then life satisfaction and positive psychology on another, all with their own unique perspectives of what provides our life with meaning and purpose. From secular to Christian worldviews, researchers attempt to examine the characteristics that seem to surround people who find contentment regardless of their current circumstances, or what traits seem to allow people to overcome difficult situations to find success. Because I align with the perspective that each of has a God-given purpose for our lives on this earth, then to Truly Flourish might be defined differently based on these callings that God offers to us.

Perhaps one day a single definition will cement itself in my mind as an effort to explain how someone can Truly Flourish at life, but for now, I will continue to build on the explanations offered in What’s Your Word and other blog posts until God reveals the most applicable definition which aligns with my hopes for engaging and equipping emerging adults. This week, I admit to being quite astonished that a book written to help guide college students of faith, who are navigating the transition from high school to a new environment, should tackle explaining what it means to Truly Flourish in your faith, especially in a secular environment. However, that is where I found myself this week, agreeing with David Horner’s description for flourishing, especially when he expressed concepts related to future blog posts like shalom and eudaimonia.

“Who wants a healthy, flourishing life? I hope that question sounds crazy. But it may not. It’s possible to reach a state where you don’t care about living a healthy, flourishing life, where you don’t see health as something worth aiming at as a goal,” shares Horner. But if we look to history to help frame what it means to Truly Flourish, then Horner provides us with a few outstanding ideas. “The Greek word classical philosophers like Aristotle used to identify the good life is eudaimonia…translated into English as ‘happiness.’ This can be misleading in our time, since we typically regard happiness as something subjective and superficial, the way we happen to feel…A better translation, the more common one these days, is ‘flourishing.’ Its meaning is similar to that of the Hebrew word shalom, used frequently in the Old Testament concerning God’s will for his people.”

In addition to Aristotle and the Old Testament’s understanding, Dallas Willard adds that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 was describing what it means to live the good life or to Truly Flourish; but what resonates most deeply with me because it relates to content broached in posts like Shallow End and Audacious Imaginations, is the idea that Horner offers in that we settle for less than what God truly desires for us. “We tend, that is, to exchange our greatest and deepest good, which is God, for lesser goods. We get these out of order. Things like health, sex, meaningful relationships and accomplishments are good. They are part of God’s creation. But they are not the good. In biblical terms, our problem is idolatry: we try to find our deepest source of value, significance or satisfaction in something other than God himself. And that distorts and disintegrates everything else.”

Personally, for me to Truly Flourish, I must continually lay down the idol I have made of marriage and family. God is reminding me quite often through Scripture like Romans 12 that in order to Truly Flourish, I must find a way to Trust and Obey that His way is so much more fulfilling than what culture offers. “Knowing God and walking closely with him is our true flourishing. But the passage also indicates that seeing God’s will this way involves a perspective that grows over time. We only come fully to discern God’s will as the good life through a process of testing and experience—as we say yes to God’s will for our life, as our mind is being renewed, as we are engaged in the process of thinking well. Loving God with our minds and living accordingly, we come to reality differently, truly,” shares Horner.

What advice would you offer to anyone, but especially emerging adults, who are attempting to Truly Flourish during this season of their life? Please feel free to share in the comments below.

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References:

Horner, D.A. (2011). Mind your faith: A student’s guide to thinking & living well. IVP Academic.