Today I think about pacing ourselves in order to keep running the marathon that’s ahead of us–whatever that long stretch is in our own lives. We can slow down. We can pace ourselves. We have a lot of work left to do in our lives. We don’t have to do it all today.
I’m not a runner, but I do know that finding a perfect, sustainable pace deeply matters for success on a long run. You need that perfect pace.
I think of my perfect pace as challenging myself but not exhausting myself. The perfect pace means I saved energy for unexpected events, that I maintained margin for spontaneous conversation, and that created sustainable patterns for work. The perfect pace means I’m ready to engage tomorrow and the next day and the next. I’m not burning out in any area. I can enter a room and serve as an agent of peace, blessing, and joy. I can enter a room and think of what I can give, not what I need to take because I’m so depleted.
It’s taken a lifetime of knowing how to save energy, how to say no, and how to work sustainably.
PS: Correction from yesterday: Streams in the Desert is a devotional collection from Lettie Cowman whose entries each day quote other authors. Thank you for those who emailed to correct my error!