How to Thrive in 2025

This photo and story are from my new monthly column, Rediscover the Wonder,

 in the January 2025 issue of The Woodmont Word.

Rediscover the Wonder 

By Polly Balint

Maybe you, too, have seen little plants popping up through tiny cracks in concrete sidewalks and parking lots. But I don’t know how many of us stop and take-in  the wonder how this tiny, fully alive plant broke through the concrete. But hey, who has time to enjoy the little wonders of life, which are really opportunities to be grateful for the beauty of creation that God gave us to enjoy. I’m too busy for that, right?

Well, we each could be like that vigorous, bright green plant this New Year! For many of us our world in 2024 was like that cold, hard, cracked concrete: losses, sorrows,  illnesses, disappointments, brokenness, discouragement, worries, fear filled, and burdened with regret. If we want to live without regrets this New Year, we’ve got to stop taking everything in our lives for granted. Entitlement is a lie. This life is a gift.

So just like that flourishing plant, as we enter this New Year we can decide to thrive too. Countless opportunities to improve our lives are waiting for us. In fact, the best gift we can give ourselves and everyone around us is to be present. Yes! Be the gift you want to receive from others! Pay attention to where you are now and  in every moment from now on decide to be grateful for every day, each day! In your relationships be present and engage in the other person. Put the phone down. Look for opportunities to make someone’s day better. Smile. Laugh. Laugh at your own jokes; I have done that for years and it really makes people laugh harder (and they usually roll their eyes, too).

Take in the beauty of your surroundings when you’re outdoors. Discover the wonder of a sunset or a sunrise, again. Choose to be in awe of the changing seasons. Winters can be extremely cold and harsh, but snow really is beautiful, and a fire crackling in a fireplace is so cozy.

Look for the good, you’ll find it. Look for the negative, you’ll find it. Imagine that little bright green sprout wasn’t hindered by the burden of that concrete, it wanted to live in the light of life! It’s a choice. Look, you made it through 2024, you’re alive and reading this column right now.  Share your grateful heart with everyone around you.

My photo of this little plant is an amazing visual of God’s promises to His children. We are the flourishing, fully alive plants rooted and abiding in Jesus, and the world is the cement. God has promises for us and the power to keep us going.

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green.” Psalm 92:14.

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Bio: Polly Balint is the author of five books; her sixth book will be launched early spring 2025.  She lives in Woodmont with her husband, Don, and their rescue dog, Polo.

 

What's So Bad About Gossip?

 

What’s So Bad about Gossip?

“When words are many sin, is not absent…”

Proverbs 10:19 

Have you ever had someone tell you personal information about another person and then tell you the reason they shared it with you was so you could pray? Frankly, if I want someone to know something personal about me, I tell them myself. Or if I want to share personal information with a group of trusted friends, I’ll ask the group to pray because “a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13).  I believe anything else is gossip. “Gossip betrays a confidence so avoid a man who talks too much” (Proverbs 20:19).

I heard the famous author and speaker Maya Angelo say, "When someone shows you who they are...believe them." Here’s another thing I learned: if an acquaintance is constantly telling you entrusted information about another friend, you can be sure they are gossiping about you, too. “When words are many, sin is not absent” (Proverbs 10:19). Why do we do it? It’s our own pride and insecurity. 

If we criticize our neighbor, we think it makes us look better.  We also believe we are steering the focus onto someone else’s situation, so we don’t have to deal with our sinful habits. So now the sin has doubled: we have gossiped, and we are prideful. “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud” (Proverbs 18:12). 

And if we are exaggerating while we are gossiping, then we are lying, too!  “A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin” (Proverbs 26:28). Whew, this sin stuff is contagious and destructive! It is also wicked and often creates crushing pain for the sinner and the one who is being sinned against. I think we can all relate. This is nasty stuff. Talk about hurt feelings and ruined reputations! What about broken relationships? “A gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).

Our God hates sin. He showed the world just how heinous it is through the violent death of His precious Son. It took a perfect Savior to be vigorously tortured on a cross to do away with the sins of His people. Yes, sin is ugly. God constantly warns us to avoid evil. “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Psalm 34:13).

When someone is sharing gossip with us, we have a choice to join in the verbal lynching or to refuse to listen. “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down” (Proverbs 26:20). What do we do when we discover someone is spreading gossip about us? God has an answer for that, too! “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15).  Get that? God calls gossip, "ignorant talk of foolish people." 

Wisdom says let God take care of it. We need to continue to show “soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:8).

As God’s children, we should be doing everything we can to build up the body of Christ, not tear it down! We are in a universal, spiritual war and it’s the light versus the darkness! “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:9-10). Our hearts and lives must be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and His purposes. He will deal with the gossipmongers.  “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12). 

God’s Way is always the best way. His Way is truth, love, fullness of joy, and peace. 

May the JOY of the Lord be our strength,

Polly 💖🎄🎝🎶

"What's So Bad About Gossip?" appears in my devotional, Totally Devoted 3, available at Amazon, B&N, etc.

Turning Pride into Roadkill

          

  "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Proverbs 8:13

Pride is a troublemaker.

It silently slithers into our minds and blinds us to truth. Pride can weave lies in our minds before we're aware if we're not paying attention to our thoughts. And we can't hide pride because it bears fruit. Rotten fruit. Smelly fruit. Yep. 

Pride is the enemy. It can lay eggs of anxiety, fear, jealousy, comparison, lies, unbelief, and fear of man, in our minds! But those rotten eggs can't hatch if we do what God tells us to do: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:5).

We've got to crush it. Kill it.

Pride is not from God. He warns us about it. "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' (1 Peter 5:5). 

That is the exact verse God instantly brought to my mind several years ago while I was prayer walking in our neighborhood! The Holy Spirit  had been convicting me that I was carrying around a very critical spirit and I knew that as a child of God I was so blessed in countless ways. I was puzzled why I was so negative and critical in my thoughts. So during my walking I was praying and asking God, frankly, "Father, what is it in me that is keeping me from having grace? Why am I so critical in my thinking instead of having gracious thoughts?"

And within seconds a verse popped in my head, "God gives grace to the humble." I laughed out loud on the sidewalk that day and stopped walking for a moment. "Wow, Lord. My problem is pride! I don't show grace to anyone because of pride!" At the time I didn't know where in the Bible the verse was, but when I got back home, I found it and also read the following:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up

 in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."

1 Peter 5:5-9

And yes, I repented on the spot. God is amazing! He is awesome! I'm so grateful God has taught me this secret: always stop and ask Him to reveal the root of a persistent problem that is troubling me. God will tell me the truth about it, and I can be set free! 

I encourage all who are reading this, if your heart is troubled, be brave and ask God to show you the root of the unrest. He is faithful and tenderhearted toward His children. He will give you a soft answer that can turn away the wrath that torments your heart.

So, the next time pride slithers up like a serpent, turn him into roadkill by turning to Jesus. "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."  (Romans 16:20)

Polly💖

Matthew 5:16