HOUSE OF ROBERTS BLOG

A long time ago, I ran a half-marathon with my wife, and on the day of the race, I noticed something interesting. They had these different individuals that held this sign up with different time-stamps on them and people grouping around them. Having never run in an organized race, I was curious as to why they were doing that. After asking around I found out that those were mile pace times. In other words, if a person was holding a sign that said 6:30 that meant that they would be running a 6:30 mile pace. When running a race, going at your correct pace is very important; if you go faster than your practice pace then you will burn out and not finish the race, or if you don’t run at the pace you have been practicing then you won’t finish when you planned on.

Life is made up of different seasons, and different seasons require different paces. A key to living a healthy, holistically successful life is to understand the season you are in and identify the pace that it requires of you. There is this account in the Bible where we see a father adjust his pace to reflect the season that he and his family were in.

In Genesis 33 we see a man named Jacob who is making his way back to his hometown. Jacob has been living with his Uncle Laban for over 14 years. When he came there he was single and had nothing, but now he has wives, children, and a successful business. As he is making his way home, his twin brother Esau along with 400 other guys comes to meet him. They settle some family drama, which is why Jacob left in the first place, Esau meets his nieces and nephews, and then he tells Jacob to come back with him, but Jacob’s response has always stood out to me. He says in verse fourteen, “Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children.”

In other words, “Esau I know that you and those 400 dudes can go at a fast pace, but I’m not by myself. I have a wife and I have children, and so I have to travel at a different pace.” Dad, what kind of pace are you living life at right now? I think we all face the challenge of identifying the season we are in and the pace we must live. A temptation we all have is to live life at a pace we used to live at. I bet that when you were single or it was just you and your wife that you could live at a fast pace; and you know what, that was appropriate and good, but I don’t think that pace works anymore.

I know you long for the pace you once ran at, but you’re in a new season, and if you want to bring your family along you have to make some pace adjustments. By the way, that is not a bad thing, there is something beautiful and necessary about the pace you need to be living at right now. Don’t resist it, embrace it! 

What is that pace for you right now? I have no idea, but I do know that the Holy Spirit wants to teach you what that is. In fact, I bet you have been feeling it for a while but you quickly dismiss it because that’s not how your mentor lives or that’s not how “successful people” live their lives. Now am I saying stop everything? No! You do have a race that you are to run and finish, but you need to run that at the right pace.

What would it be, if we finished life’s race and created that business, started that church, made a bunch of money, but we lost our wives and children along the way? I think we could eliminate a lot of regret in our life’s journey if we moved at the correct pace. There is a lot that God has for you Dad and your family; bring them along with you at a pace that they can keep up with. You can do that!