Flourishing

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

Psalm 92:12-15

The Cox family could always be relied upon to supply many palm fronds for the annual palm cross-making at St. George’s, leading up to Palm Sunday each year. Our small-town parish didn’t have the numbers that St. Martin’s does, so we could source the material for our yearly quota from the abundance of palm trees around us in Galveston County, with at least three trees in the Cox backyard. Palm trees flourish down there, surviving hurricanes, floods and droughts. In other words, they are both strong and flexible; they are resilient.

In ancient Israel, palm trees were important resources for a community, with the people utilizing almost every part of the tree for more critical uses than making palm crosses. Dates from the variety of palm trees that grew there were a source of nutritious food for humans and animals. Palm tree sap was used as a sweetener, even to make liquor. The fibers from the branches were used to make baskets, mats, ropes, rigging for boats and thatching for roofs. Even the trunks of the palm tree would be used for building fences and homes. Some palm trees could live for over 100 years, giving life and materials needed for living to many generations.^[1]

As I wrote these paragraphs above, I realized that the biblical concept of “flourishing” is different than how we would define that state of being today. A contemporary understanding of “flourishing,” one that happens to be AI-generated for purposes of this meditation, is “a state of thriving in life — where a person is not only free from illness or struggle, but also experiencing growth, fulfillment, and well-being in multiple areas.”^[2] It seems we modern folk are more focused on the growth of our income, the stock market and our IRAs, staying healthy and being self-actualized than did our spiritual forebearers. 

Maybe that’s a bit too harsh. But if we look at our lives through the biblical metaphor in Psalm 92 of the people of God, the “righteous,” being a palm tree, the contrast between the modern and biblical definition of “flourishing” is startling. And the greatest difference is perspective. We look at flourishing as something we benefit from, whereas the biblical view is that all can benefit from a flourishing palm tree, a “righteous” follower of Jesus planted in the Kingdom of God.

Reflect on your life. If you have more than enough for you and your family, how might your “flourishing” benefit others?

[1] Winifred Walker, All the Plants of the Bible (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1957), 160.

[2] ChatGPT, “Define flourishing,” https://chatgpt.com/c/68c04809-91b8-8326-9ce2-ba6407f83860. Accessed September 9, 2025.