Run at Your Own Pace

An excerpt from The Urgency of Slowing Down by Laura L. Smith

My husband, son, and I all took off at our own paces on a Saturday morning run around the park. Soon I found my cadence, and as I ran, it struck me that everyone at the park had a pace they were supposed to be moving at—not anyone else’s but theirs. The large group of women that sped right past me from the get-go. The older gentleman pushing his disabled friend in his wheelchair. The fit guy with the prosthetic leg. The two gals chattering in Spanish as they walked. The men riding their bikes. My son. My husband. Me. We were all moving at our own pace. Because that’s how we thrive. We seem fine with this at the park, but sometimes we struggle to believe this in our day-to-day lives.

God wants goodness for you and me. But someone else’s pace is not necessarily my best pace or yours. Just because they have their degree, are married, started their own business, had a baby, and you haven’t, doesn’t mean you’re behind. Not if you’re walking at the pace God leads you. As long as you’re tracking with God and his plans for you, you are right on time.

"God wants goodness for you and me. But someone else’s pace is not necessarily my best pace or yours." - Laura L. Smith

We don’t always understand God’s timing. We might never understand why that position or life stage came so quickly for a friend or peer but took forever for us. Maybe God needed to grow us. Maybe he needed to teach us some things. Maybe he wanted to make sure we didn’t get out of breath. Also we might not be sure why we got thrust into a certain responsibility or role without much preparation. Maybe God knew we were ready, or his speedy pace got things in motion just when he needed them to be. Maybe God knew we’d actually enjoy running at a moderate pace or a faster one, and he orchestrated it that way simply for our long-term joy.

The more we live in God’s unforced rhythms of grace the better we can determine what pace he wants us to go in this season. Is this a time for rest or for meticulously learning a skill? Is it time to speak up? Or should you bite your tongue? I don’t have the answers for you. But God does. He has a time and pace for everything and everyone.

As I was coming down the home stretch of my run, my husband and son clapped and yelled, “Go, Mom!” And I felt so loved. So valued. They never once judged me because I was slower than them. Way slower. They were proud of me for running my race.

If this is how my husband and son love me, can you imagine how much more God loves us? Cheers for us when we go at the pace he intends for us?

"As long as you’re tracking with God and his plans for you, you are right on time." - Laura L. Smith

God has good plans for you! Big loops, record speeds, strengthening for your trust muscles, slow runs, cardio workouts that will get your heart pumping, and peaceful pauses. And when you go at his pace, you’ll experience the fullness and richness He planned for you all along.

Run your race. At your God-led pace. I’m cheering for you. And so is Jesus.

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Taken from The Urgency of Slowing Down: Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Renewal by Laura L. Smith. Used by permission of Our Daily Bread Publishing®, Grand Rapids, MI. All rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from Our Daily Bread Publishing® at permissionsdept@odb.org

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