“Move at the pace of grace and speed of purpose.”

Last year I experienced major burnout and dissatisfaction in various areas of my life, especially in business. It was when I was most weary and discouraged that I learned the life-changing lesson – I can’t be all things to all people. I also learned that God desires our progression, not our perfection. (Not that perfection is possible anyway).

In Matthew 11, the Bible speaks about Jesus giving true rest

At the top of last year, before I entered into my season of burnout, God gave me the prophetic word that 2019 would be the ‘Year of Growth.’ A few weeks after this divine download, I had a vision of a bow and arrow, and then heard the Holy Spirit whisper two words to me, “Thrusting Point.” I had no clue what this meant, so I went to our best friend, Google, for help in hopes of receiving a greater revelation of what God was trying to communicate to me. Thrusting is defined as “the motion of pushing or lunging suddenly or violently.” I totally ignored the word violently.

With this definition, attached to the vision of the bow and arrow, I came to the conclusion that God was about to spring me forward faster, and that it was about to happen suddenly.  I immediately became excited about this revelation! I couldn’t have been more wrong. I had no clue this vision and the words spoken were actually the Holy Spirit’s preparation and forewarning for what was to come.

Much like when planting a tree, you must first place the seed in the ground before it can produce a harvest. That seed’s roots also must grow down before it springs above the ground. I was so excited about the thrusting of the arrow that I chose to ignore the fact that the bow first has to be pulled back. Consequently, the further the bow is pulled back, the further forward the arrow will go. The same is true in business.

What I’ve come to realize is that if we are constantly on the go and don’t take strategic time to dial it back, we can lose sight of what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and sometimes even how we’re supposed to do it. If we don’t, SLOW IT DOWN, we can miss God’s instructions.

I like to refer to God as the ultimate GPS.  GPS is an acronym for God’s Planning System. Very similar to when driving to a new destination while allowing your GPS navigation to guide you, if you’re driving too fast, you can miss the turn that the GPS instructs you to make. Although you may be in a hurry,  the best thing to do when journeying to a new destination is to PACE YOURSELF.

When the Bible says that God’s grace is sufficient, I believe we sometimes forget what all God’s grace actually entails/includes. We serve the sovereign God. He is the Supreme Ruler, Alpha & Omega, Beginning and End, Author and Finisher of our Faith. God is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He’s our Father, Helper, Comforter, Teacher, and Friend. There is none higher than Him. There is none before Him. And, there will be none that come after Him. And as if this isn’t enough, God is – THE AUTHOR OF TIME! That means He controls it. We serve the God that operates outside of time and creates it at the very same time. He doesn’t run by the metrics of this world.

God is so infinite in all of His ways that it sometimes becomes difficult for our finite beings/minds to understand/comprehend just how big, and in control He truly is. A lot of times we are pressing full-speed ahead because we are too fixated on our timetable – yet, how often do we consult God for His? Yes, of course, we are supposed to make plans, set goals, and create deadlines – but make sure in all your goal setting, plan making, and deadline creating that you’re leaving room for God. Be detailed enough to prosper but flexible enough to shift at the very command of God. This fluidity in assignment and purpose usually requires us to – “slow down in order to speed up.”

What happened in the midst of my burnout? I encountered God. He shifted my focus, restructured my business, heightened my business acumen, and strengthened my standard of excellence. Learn from my mistakes. Don’t go through a breakdown in order to experience a breakthrough. Pacing yourself while progressing into purpose is God’s perfect plan for your life.