My sincerest apologies to anyone within the sound of my voice who is becoming so exhausted by my use of the word flourishing that you are ready to strangle me. Enamored by the word several years ago, it encapsulates the idea in my mind of what optimal health and human performance looks like, and the more research that is conducted on the word and how various disciplines define it, the more captivated I become. And about the time I come to a conclusion that everything there is to be known about flourishing has already been written, someone creates a dialogue group to discuss the book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, and the notes I’m making from You’re Only Human are becoming nearly as long as the original publication. It seems everyone is exploring this concept in some way or another!

Even though almost every post since this blog’s inception in 2019 attempts to offer both definitions and explanations for what it means to cultivate a flourishing life, today, the focus is on another word beginning with the letter f that decided to insert itself into this journey a few weeks ago after a conversation with one of my closest friends, and that word is functioning. Although we were not having a discussion about this idea of the flourishing continuum, our dialogue happened to address the issue that a stage might be missing from what I originally considered. In preparation for sharing about flourishing in Emerging Adulthood for a freshman English class the next week, the word functioning resonated as the descriptor best suited for what seemed to be missing. Functioning best articulated what Tracey and I had attempted to describe in our conversation—this experience of not being on the flourishing end of the continuum, but not really floundering either. So, the need for another word to illuminate the movement from failing (or as psychologists say ‘languishing’) to floundering to functioning to flourishing.

Now, to frame our newest word to the mix, my desire is to offer one of my current favorite explanations of flourishing which comes from Francis Su,”…a wholeness—of being and doing, of realizing one’s potential and helping others do the same, of acting with honor and treating others with dignity, of living with integrity even in challenging circumstances.” Su describes the well-lived life, the flourishing life, with words outside of the English language using, “…eudaimonia…shalom…salaam,” which, to me, portrays the depth of what God desires for humans to flourish. It speaks to something deeper than personal circumstances such as a financial, physical, or educational status, but to the highest human good, which expands outward to include the Christian’s call to love God and others.

In my word-nerdiness indulged by Su, I chose to investigate another Hebrew word, parakh, which means to blossom, bud, sprout, flourish. Sarah Fisher guides us to consider, “With Yeshua rising from the grave and the Holy Spirit flourishing within His people, parakh seems like a fitting word.” She continues making connections to the earth and to human beings, “The yard is thriving, and our Hebrew word of the day encapsulates the entire concept, from little sprout to flourishing garden…In the Hebrew language blossoming, budding, or sprouting, was equivalent to flourishing…good life was about growing and prospering…Flourishing humans were like prospering plant life, and the writer of Psalm 92 poetically weaved together both elements…Those who sought Yahweh and loved Him, He would love, care for, and help them flourish and bear good fruit in return.” In my mind, this sounds very similar to considering the Flourishing Fruit provided by the Spirit. But how do we describe that in-between stage from sprout to flourishing garden?

So, I submit the fourth word to the continuum, functioning. Perhaps this living thing, plant or human, is in a period of growth and transformation, but has yet to achieve the flourishing stage. Its God-Given Space is being cultivated and fulfilled, but it has not yet reached its full meaning and purpose as God intends, but it’s not floundering and certainly not failing! So, I’ll choose functioning—a period of nourishing the Habit of Growth and Deep Work while recognizing the Habit of Margin, understanding our loads and limits, or creaturely finitude, as Kelly Kapic emphasizes in You’re Only Human. We require these seasons of functioning, along with the struggles necessary along the flourishing continuum to inhabit our anavah, in efforts to fulfill our role in this interdependent life.

I’m settling in on this fourth word of the continuum and will be curious to see where the path leads, and I request your input. Have you experienced moments, or seasons, of life where you align best with the functioning section of the continuum, not floundering but not yet flourishing? Please consider sharing in the comments below.

References:

Fisher, S.E. (2020, May 31). Parakh: Blossom, Bud, Sprout, Flourish. [Blog post]. Hebrew Words Lessons: Understanding the Hebrew Bible One Word at a Time. Retrieved from https://hebrewwordlessons.com/2020/05/31/parakh-blossom-bud-sprout-flourish/

Kapic, K.M. (2022). You’re only human: How your limits reflect God’s design and why that’s good news. Brazos Press.

Su, F. (2020). Mathematics for human flourishing. Yale University Press.