We tend to move through life at a ridiculously fast pace. Somehow we have bought into this idea that if we aren’t moving fast enough to keep up or even in some cases, get ahead, then we will fall behind. And should we fall behind, well then we believe that we are going to miss out and so we attempt to move at an even greater speed in order to get back where we think we need to be. Why this doesn’t work as a consistent way of life is another post for another day. What I want to share today is that trying to live at this pace while in a desert place is both dangerous and impractical.

When I finally admitted to myself that I was in a desert, it became obvious that I could not continue at the pace of life I was currently trying to maintain. And yet for some reason I could not admit to myself I needed to slow down. Seeing how I could not even admit that I needed to slow down, there was no way that I was actually going to take the steps necessary to move at a slower pace.

It wasn’t until I met with a spiritual director and began talking through this desert journey that the words were actually spoken and it resonated deep in my heart, “When you are moving through the desert, you have to move a different pace of life.” That was my “AH-HA” moment and the next discovery in this journey. It was like I had finally been given permission to change the pace at which I was trying to live.

[bctt tweet=”When you are moving through the desert, you have to move a different pace of life.” username=”robbgossen”]

The deserts of life are too hot and too dry to try and live at a speed where precious energy is used just trying to keep up with those around you. The desert journey requires that you focus the expenditure of your energy simply walking at a pace that is wholesome for you and the place where you are at in your journey.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean you stop doing anything and that you clear your calendar and stop going places or doing things. To be perfectly honest, I still have full calendar but I am no longer trying to keep up and play the game of comparison. There are things you have to do in life and you simply cannot check out and say, “Well, I need to move slower so I am not going to do anything.” That often simply isn’t an option.

There may be things you have to cut out of your schedule. You may have to say no to some new opportunities that come your way. You may have to hand off some responsibilities for a season so that you can have the necessary margin to thrive in the desert season and not simply survive. However, you may discover that you cannot clear your schedule and you cannot hand-off some responsibilities, but you can change the reason and purpose for which you are doing things.

How often have you compared your life, success, ministry, career path, etc… to someone else and wonder why you aren’t seeing the same results? It’s in that moment you begin to speed up your life, moving at an unsustainable pace trying to duplicate what you see going on around you. Maybe it’s a case of FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out is so great that you just have decided that you have to do more or take what you are doing to another level.

Regardless of whether you have fallen in the comparison trap or the FOMO trap, when you enter a desert season, trying to maintain that pace of life that is brought about and often encouraged, will kill you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You end up exerting precious energy trying to maintain a look when it needs to be spent simply taking the necessary steps to move forward.

Where do you need slow down? What does this adjusted pace of life look like? Do you need to cut something out of your schedule or give yourself the freedom from trying to keep up in a rat race you can never win?

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