moving at the pace of grace
Have you ever had a time in your life when things have just gotten so overwhelming that the thought of adding one more item to the list of things to do would make you cry? Perhaps there have been multiple times when this has occurred. I’m raising my hand, in fact, I’m raising both hands and both feet. I’ve had a few of those, and let me tell you, this first half of the year has nearly proven to be one of those seasons as well. The only difference between now and in previous times despite the weight of my assignments this season is that I feel like I can handle this and move through it without the crying. What’s different? This time, I have the grace to move because I’m allowing Holy Spirit to guide my every step and decision and it’s so freeing.
“NO” is more than a word, it’s a full sentence –
“Say only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more than yes or no, it is from the Evil One.”
– Matthew 5:37 NCV
I’ve got a lot of things on my plate right now, all projects that the Lord has assigned me to do in this season. And as intense as my schedule is this first half of the year, in the midst of it all, my beautiful and beloved mother went on to glory. At a time when my life seems to have gotten upended and with the many things that are vying for my attention, I’m actually more than okay. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I realize that I can’t say yes to everything, and neither do I need to. It’s important that I realize that at times, I have to give that anointed one-word sentence…” NO”. And I don’t need to qualify the response. My no is simply a no. Hopefully, people who are on the other side of that “no” understand, but if not, I ask the Lord to help them understand. There was a point in time when I would allow myself to be guilted or coerced into changing my response, but if God says that it’s a “no” for me, then that’s what it is. Rather than being “faithful” to the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of other people, I’d much rather be faithful to God, the one who is ALWAYS faithful to me.
It's okay to slow down -
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
– Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
The most important thing that I’m really learning is how to move at the pace of grace which means that I’m giving myself the grace to slow down while getting things done. If I don’t get something done by a certain time, it’s okay. Now, don’t confuse grace with disobedience and being reluctant to move because you don’t want to, or dragging your feet as a result of procrastination because you don’t “feel” like getting things done. And neither is this about laziness, this is about being intentional, and not being hard on yourself that “I HAVE TO DO THIS IMMEDIATELY”. I’m in a couple of accelerated coaching and mentoring programs right now and I have assignments. Lots of them. Typically, I’m super on top of things, but right now, I’m not, and it’s okay. For a “high-achiever” like me, this is something that I would never have said in the not-so-distant past. I’m making the decision not to put undue pressure on myself. It’s understanding and realizing what I have the “capacity” to do and when, kudos to my Capacity Coach Nicole Rhone who is helping me to see that. With her coaching, I’m learning to understand what capacity is and what that specifically looks like for me because it’s going to look different for everyone. So, it’s me asking the question to the Holy Spirit, “Lord, what do I really have the capacity to do right now and what should my focus be?” Why do I ask him that question? Because remember, I’m a “high-achiever” so I tend to take on more than I should and then get overwhelmed in the process of completing things. Holy Spirit will let me know if I really do have the capacity to do more or if I need to pull back on something.
This speaks to setting the right priorities and the proper boundaries in life and also learning how to not force what doesn’t need to be forced. In addition to my typical “To-do Lists,” I now have a “Do it Later List” where I park ideas or tasks after I have asked the Lord what HIS timing is on those things. Just because God gives you something, it may very well not be the time right now to action it.
Grace to forgive -
Grace is even forgiving yourself for not getting done what you expected to get done. When you’re doing everything that you can and you need to take a break, it’s okay. If you get off track, just get back to where you left off. If anything, endeavor to be consistent. Make the decision and commit to showing up. Don’t be hard on yourself because you didn’t show up as “your usual best self”. Sometimes your best self is the one who showed up today, the one who had the mettle to press forward and persevere. When I trained for marathon races, we would always say that showing up at the Start Line was the hardest yet most important part of the race, because once you’re there you’re more likely to finish whether you ran it walked it, or both. You might even find yourself crawling or limping across the finish line. Not all finishes were pretty and in endurance races, most finishes were pretty brutal. But you finished because you first made the decision to show up. You may have even stopped a couple of times during the race to take a quick break to rest a bit, but after a moment’s rest, you got back on track and continued in the race. When you finally crossed the finish line, you did so as a winner because you made the decision to show up, and even though you allowed yourself brief periods of rest, those moments strengthened you mentally to persevere to the end. The pace of grace will allow you to keep winning.
Grace will ease the challenges-
Grace doesn’t make things easy; it makes it easier without toil and stress. Not only is grace God’s unmerited favor but it’s also his supernatural empowerment to do the things that he is calling you to do and, in many cases, it’s to persevere. We are in a season right now when perseverance is key, and we must rely solely on the grace of God to power us spiritually, mentally, and physically.
“We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously “
– 1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT
The challenges that are placed before us are there to serve as a catalyst to launch us into our next phase or season. These are designed by God to strengthen us and to build us, not to crush us. These challenges are also allowed with the intention to launch us deeper into the heart of the Lord while learning to trust him at a much deeper level and to discover for ourselves yet another facet of his character and personality. In this season, I have really learned of God’s faithfulness at a level that I never thought possible. I have learned and will continue to learn that you must be consistent in showing up with the expectation to partner with God in this race, letting him set the pace and that you must also be consistent in trusting in His faithfulness to lead and guide you to the other side in victory.