Set The Pace

Good morning!  Good afternoon!  Good evening!  Whatever time of the day that you are reading this, I hope that you are in good spirits.  That your mind is clear and that your heart is overflowing with love.  If they are not, I understand.  I certainly have spent my fair share of days in the dooms and glooms.  Days where situations that were out of my control affected my mood.  However, I have realized that I have more power than I think.

Saturday morning was cold.  COLD!  Do you hear me?  Although Bible Study Mama and I have been getting out in nature on Saturday mornings for our walks, the forecasted temperature had us doubting our decision.  We bundled up and soldiered on for our walk.  At one point, Bible Study Mama said, “We should be making really good time for this mile.”  Her statement made me ask if I was setting the pace or if she was setting the pace.  She let me know that she was just trying to keep up with me. 

Now, I had been suffering in silence.  Throughout the mile, I had been thinking to myself, “This weather is really making her move quickly.”  I chose to do my best to keep up with her pace.  I pushed through and did not ask her to slow down to accommodate my body.  I just fell into her pace.  But clearly, we both had a misconstrued idea of the person that was actually setting the pace.

In that moment, I understood part of my struggle in the past week.  I am guilty of trying to keep up with people that move at paces that I cannot sustain.  While it is good to have people that push you and move you out of your comfort zone, walking at full speed for sustained periods of time leads to injury.  I am supposed to run the race set before me at the pace that is appropriate for me.  Child, I walked too fast in my life this week and caused a minor injury.  I hurt myself because I wanted to keep up.

Thank God for grace, mercy, and the sense to call an audible.  In my quiet time with God, I asked for direction in my life.  I asked Him to show me His will.  I asked the Holy Spirit to set the pace.  And He did.  He told me to slow down.  In my rush to get to an expected end, I was racing towards destruction.  Do not be like the me from this past week.  Allow God to set the pace for your life in all areas.  #wepreach