You Set the Pace

I was out on a walk the other day, and my legs were burning from the pace.I remember looking down at my feet and hearing it clearly:

You set the pace.

(Thanks, God—I know that’s You, and I’m listening 🙂)

So, I slowed down. My legs stopped burning so badly, and almost immediately my thoughts shifted to something deeper.

All the times in my life when I’ve let other people set the pace for me.The times I saw someone doing something faster or better and decided I needed to match it—even when it didn’t fit my life or my season.

As the day went on—and even into the next—I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I realized I needed to hear those words now.

I’m stepping into a new season… one where I’m savoring my last baby’s final year as a child.

And if I’m being honest, the emotions have already hit me hard.

But even in that, I’ve caught myself judging how I’m processing it—based on how it seems like others move through this season.

Faster. Lighter. Different.

But those words came back again:

You set the pace.

I get to decide how fast or how slow I move through this season.

I get to feel it fully, without rushing it away.

And so do you.