Thrive 2024 - Day 3

If you're new here, we've already spent 2 days talking about why we're not thriving and one of the barriers to thriving. And now I want to actually talk to you about what you can do to thrive. So there are 3 ways that you can thrive in this new season. I'm going to talk about one of these ways today, one of these ways today. So my oldest daughter, um, when she was about 9 years old, we lived, um, in a little complex that probably had like 20 units. Was very small area, and as you went in a circle to go around the neighborhood, um, the circle went straight and then it went down, right? And then it came back up. So it went around and it went down and then it came back up. And she used to love to go down that hill. She would go down the hill in roller skates, and I would always tell her, slow down, slow down, you're gonna fall. You know, she didn't listen. So one day she fell. She felt really bad. She had this big gash in her knee, and I mean, it's bleeding, it was deep. You know, and to this day, you can still see the mark in her leg near her knee from that fall. We can fall at any time, but I knew that was going to happen because she was going down the hill, going too fast. And going too fast meant that she was not going to have control of her movement in a, in a, on a path that required her to be more attentive to how she, how she stepped. Number one, how you can choose to thrive in the season, how you can choose to come out on the other side without injury and without negative marking, how you can choose to enjoy the ride without having pain associated with the ride or being in a position that you never intended to be in. I need you to slow down. I know that you are desperately gasping for air, trying to figure out how to fit in the new rhythm at work, the new rhythm with your kids, the new rhythms at church, the new rhythms with your family, the new rhythms in your life. The best thing that you can do as you decide what your pace is and what your new normal is, is to move slowly. Just because it's open doesn't mean you have to go. Just because you're welcome doesn't mean you have to show up. Just because you're needed doesn't mean you have to do the thing. You have to slow down. And I'm saying this to myself too. Now, there are times when, um, I'm a fairly high capacity person and there are times when other people around me will say, girl, you have to slow down. And the thing is, is I know my pace, right? I know my pace. Um, you have to know your pace. So what that means is for a person who runs, let's just say they're a half marathoner or they're, you know, they're a runner and they run that race and their pace is a 7-minute, they average a 7-minute mile. That's great. If I run a half marathon, I'm going to average a 12-minute mile. What slowdown means for them as a 7-minute miler and what slowdown means for me as a 12-minute miler are two totally different things.. But do we both need to slow down? Yes. So you have to know your pace, and then you need to know that in this season you have to slow down. And slow down doesn't mean do less. It could mean, but it also means make decisions, take more time to make them. It also means take more time between the question that you get and the answer that you give. It also means give yourself some grace to take a little longer, to take the scenic route. And this is what thriving allows you to do. It allows you to decide how you want to grow now, how you want to live now, how you want to bloom now, where you want to be now. You get to make some decisions now. And if you're not slowing your pace down in order to do that, you'll just go— you'll just try to keep up with the pacing group in front of you. And be out of breath, or you'll be keeping up with the pacing group behind you and be frustrated because you'll be like, I don't— this is not how I roll. So cancel something, reschedule it, do it differently, do it another week, do it with another group of people. The world can wait on you. What's important when you're running a race is that you finish. And if I cross the finish line of my marathon in 7 hours and somebody else crossed it in 3 or 4, guess what we both get? A medal. We get a medal. And we get that medal whether we finish it slow or finish it Speedy Gonzales. You want to win your race. You want to finish your race, and you want to hear, "Well done." And that will not happen if you don't finish. And if in the course of your race and in the course of your ride you need to change your pace so that you can finish, that is what matters. It's okay for people to need answers from you. And for you to say, I'm so sorry, I've taken the week to shut everything down. I'll have an answer for you on Monday. You don't have to say you're sorry. You have the right to pick your pace, pick your timing. But here's the reason why you want to slow down. It's not just about— it's not just slowing down for slowing down's sake. The beautiful thing about driving slowly is that now I can take in the scenery. Now I can take in the scenery. I can look out the window and I'm slow enough for it not to be a blur. Let me tell you why most of us struggle to thrive in our life, period, and especially in this season. One of the main reasons we're struggling to thrive is because we're not taking in the scenery, the scenery of our lives, the conversation, the people, the love, the hugs, the gathering, the appreciation, the enjoying your home, enjoying your yard, taking a walk, being present when you read the Bible, reading a book, doing something you love. That is all a part of the joy of living. And you miss the joy of living when you're not taking in the scenery of your life. People that go on a road trip with me, namely my husband or my friend Michelle, hate to take road trips with me because I— if I see something beautiful, I'm going to want to pull over and look at it. And better yet, I'm going to want to pull over and take a picture of it. That's what slowing down will allow you to do. It will allow you to enjoy the journey. And in order to enjoy it, sometimes you have to go slow enough to see what it is that you want to change and adjust in your life, and then pause and take a snapshot. You journal because you had a good day and you're moving slower. You relish a conversation with a friend because you're moving slower. You take the time to try a new recipe and just move through that without rushing to get dinner on the table. Because you've decided to move slower. You linger on a Saturday morning with Chrystal Hurst because you're laying in the bed with your phone and you've decided to move slower. You play in the dirt with your kids because you've decided to move slower. You go on a walk and pause and talk to your neighbor because you've decided to move slower. You don't just pass the yard sign on your way to wherever you have to be. Be today, you take the turn and you go to the garage sale. Move slower. You sit after church and have a conversation with a friend because you're moving slower. Or even better yet, you look at your notes from the sermon you just listened to and absorb it. Just sit there and take it in. We all know what it is to have a great meal and for the food to be so good and you just want to turn it over and over again in your mouth and absorb all the flavors. Well, your life can be flavorful, and you don't want to rush and eat, and you don't want to rush and live. So how can you thrive in your life? You need to slow down and look at the scenery. One of the beautiful things about getting older, if you will allow this to happen in your life, is that you just, by fact of time, you get to know yourself better. Just, you just know yourself. And that's why, you know, in your 40s, and I'm knocking on the door of my 50s, you're able to just kind of say what it is because you kind of know yourself, you know what I mean? It's a, it's a beautiful thing to be able to say it. This is it. No, that's not what I meant. No, that's not what I want. Yes, that's the way I want to do it. Yes, this is where we want to go. Yes, this is what my opinion is. You kind of You know, it's, it's, it's kind of good. But here's what I've also learned. This is, I was saying this yesterday. Here's what I also have loved about having younger women in the inner circle. And we have lots of different women of different ages in the inner circle is that the younger women go, I'm learning so much about me now and how I want to live from being in a room, in virtual rooms with women of all ages to hear what the decisions are, in the 20s that affect women in their 40s and 50s. And for women in their 20s and 30s to be able to say, oh, I've learned something from you. So let me reorganize my life accordingly. It's always an opportunity to invest in you. When you take a class, when you take a course, when you go on a trip, when you spend time with friends, when you spend time with people that are not in your age range, you get to learn from other people. And so one of the things that we have found in the Inner Circle is those that have chose to join us and to make the decision to invest in themselves, they're not just learning from me, they're learning from each other. How do you wanna define your life in this season? You get to decide. There may be a lot of things you don't get to decide, but there are a ton of things that you do. And that's why I'm here because I want you to decide, and I want you to choose you. Choose you. Choose you. I said it before, I'll say it again. You have never been here before. Literally, there has never been nor there'll ever be someone just like you. The gift of you in this world is amazing. Do you know the gift of you? Are you able to give the gift of you? Are you able to enjoy the gift of you and spread the joy of the gift of you with other people? Well, you should. And that's what I want to encourage you to do.