Move at the Pace of Peace

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Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome back to another episode of Living in Your Power.
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I am your host, Dr. Marlene Greenleaf, and as always, you know I am truly grateful
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that you've chosen to spend this time with me today.
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Now, as we continue our August series, Moving with Intention,
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Purposeful Steps into What's next?
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Last week, we talked about taking the next step without needing to see the entire map.
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And we reflected on trusting God enough to move with what we know,
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even when we don't have every answer.
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But today, today I want to add something important to that conversation.
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Because once we decide to move, there can be a temptation to rush.
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Yes. We think, now that I know where I'm going, I need to get there quickly.
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And we start pushing, we start striving, and we're trying to make things happen.
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And before long, before long, what began as an intentional step becomes an exhausting race.
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So today we're talking about something I believe many of us need to practice.
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And that is moving forward without abandoning our peace.
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So today's episode the second in our August series is titled move at the pace of peace.
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Move at the pace of peace.
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So let's get into this. I said, when did everything become urgent? Hmm?
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Have you noticed how much of life seems to come with a sense of urgency?
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It's respond now, decide now, achieve now, grow now, post now, build now.
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I mean, figure it out right now.
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Everything is now, right now. We're surrounded by messages that tell us faster is better.
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And if we're not careful, if we're not careful, we will begin measuring our progress by speed.
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Someone else launched the business. Someone else received the promotion.
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Someone else wrote the book. And someone else reached the milestone.
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And suddenly, suddenly we're no longer walking our own journey.
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Because we're raising someone else's.
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And that's where comparison becomes dangerous.
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Because comparison doesn't simply make us question where we are.
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It can make us question our pace.
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Because we begin thinking, hmm, maybe I'm moving too slowly.
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Oh, maybe I should be further along. Or maybe I'm running out of time.
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And that's when pressure begins making decisions for us. But here's something
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I've come to understand.
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Urgency and purpose are not the same thing.
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I want to say that again. Urgency and purpose are not the same thing.
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Because everything that feels urgent is not necessarily important.
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And everything important does not have to be rushed.
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I mean, sometimes the most intentional thing you can do is slow down long enough to hear you clearly.
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Our Bible verse today is taken from Psalm 46, 10.
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It says to be still and know that I am God.
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Be still enough to know. This is such a short scripture.
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And yet, there is so much power in it. It says to be still.
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Not because nothing needs to be done. Not because responsibilities disappear.
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Not because life suddenly becomes quiet, but because stillness allows us to
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remember who it actually, who is actually in control.
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I mean, the verse doesn't say be still until you figure everything out.
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It clearly says, be still and know that I am God.
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So there's a difference.
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Stillness isn't inactivity it's trust,
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it's creating enough internal quiet to hear beyond the noise because when everything
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around us is shouting hurry,
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God may be saying wait,
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and when fear says do something.
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Wisdom may be saying not yet and when precious is you're falling behind God
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may simply be reminding you to stay with me,
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And that's why peace can become such an important part of discernment.
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Peace doesn't always tell us what to do. But it can help us recognize how we're doing it.
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And are we moving from trust?
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Or are we moving from panic?
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Are we responding thoughtfully? Or simply reacting?
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So sometimes the pace itself tells us what is leading us.
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So I want to say this, peace is not passivity.
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I want to make something very clear. Moving at the pace of peace does not mean
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moving slowly all the time.
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There will be seasons when things happen quickly.
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Opportunities can arrive unexpectedly, doors can open suddenly,
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and sometimes you will need to make a decision and move.
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So peace isn't about speed. It's about alignment.
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You see the difference? I mean, you can move quickly and still be peaceful.
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And you can move slowly while being completely consumed by anxiety.
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So the question isn't how fast I'm moving.
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The question is, what is driving my movement?
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That's the difference. When we're driven by fear, we often feel the need to force things.
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I mean, we chase, we overcommit, we say yes before we've had time to discern,
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And we convince ourselves that if we don't grab an opportunity immediately,
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we'll never receive another one.
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But when we're moving from peace, something changes.
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We can pause. We can pray.
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We can ask questions. We can gather information.
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And we can say, let me think about that.
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And perhaps most importantly, we can walk away from something that doesn't feel
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aligned, even if it looks good on paper.
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And that, my dear listeners, that is freedom.
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Because not every opportunity is an assignment. Not every open door requires you to walk through.
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And not every delay means you've missed your moment.
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Sometimes peace is the confirmation. And sometimes the absence of peace is the
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invitation to look again.
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So let's return to today's scripture briefly. Again, it says,
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be still and know that I am God.
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Now, maybe the stillness you need is a physical stillness. Maybe you don't need
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to stop everything you're doing.
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Maybe you simply need to quiet what's happening inside you.
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The pressure, the comparison, the expectations, the fear that you're behind.
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The belief that everything must happen immediately and then ask yourself what
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would this decision look like if I made it from peace instead of pressure?
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That's how I pile my question for this week. So I want you to take a few moments and reflect on this.
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Where am I currently feeling rushed?
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Is that urgency coming from God or from fear, pressure, or comparison?
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Have I committed to something before giving myself time to discern it?
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What would change if I allowed peace to determine my pace?
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And where might God be asking me to simply be still long enough to hear?
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So I'm going to repeat these prompts for you again. I want you to reflect on
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these. Where am I currently feeling rushed?
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Is that urgency coming from God? Or from fear?
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Pressure or comparison have I committed to something before giving myself time
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to discern it what would change if I allowed peace to determine my pace,
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and where might God be asking me to simply be still long enough to hear and then,
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then I want you to breathe.
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You don't have to solve everything in that moment. You don't have to respond immediately.
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You don't have to know what comes next. And sometimes the most powerful thing
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you can say is, I'll give myself time to discern this.
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I mean, there is wisdom in the pause. There is wisdom in the pause.
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So in closing my friends as you move through this week I want you to remember,
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that you are allowed to move at the pace of peace you don't have to match someone else's timeline,
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you don't have to rush because the world tells you that faster is better,
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and you don't have to manufacture urgency when God has given you room to breathe.
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Move when it's time to move. Pause when it's time to pause.
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Act when action is required.
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And rest when rest is needed.
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But through it all, through it all, I want you to remember to stay connected.
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Stay discerning. Stay grounded.
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Because purposeful movement isn't measured by how quickly you arrive,
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it's measured by whether you remain aligned along the way.
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I want to thank you for joining me for Episode 2 of our August series,
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Moving with Intention, Purposeful Steps into What's Next.
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So next week, we'll continue with When Preparation Meets Opportunity.
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We'll talk about the work that happens before the door opens and why preparation
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is never wasted even when we don't yet know where it will lead.
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So until next time, I want you to continue to live boldly in your power today.
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And if it gets tough, just breathe.
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You still got the strength to rise. So until next time, continue to live in your power.