Permission to Start Slow

Happy First Monday of the year.

Everyone is loud about starting the year strong—new goals, new planners, new pressure.

But let me offer you something more honest:

What if you need to start the year slow?

Slow doesn’t mean stagnant.

Slow doesn’t mean disobedient.

Slow and steady still wins the race.

Scripture reminds us in Ecclesiastes 7:8 (KJV) in short, that the end of a thing is better than its beginning—and that patience outweighs pride.

Translation? God is not impressed by rushed momentum that lacks obedience. He honors alignment.

Here’s the truth we don’t say out loud enough

God already gave you permission.

What keeps many people stuck isn’t confusion—it’s delay.

• Buying new programs while old assignments collect dust

• Asking God for next steps while ignoring previous instructions

• Calling it “preparation” when it’s really procrastination

If you feel unsure about what to do this year, it may not be because God hasn’t spoken—it’s because what He already said is still sitting untouched on the shelf.

How I stopped repeating years and started seeing real growth

Not perfection—progress with intention—came down to three things:

1. Writing the vision

Clarity requires commitment. Writing things down ended vague praying and forced honest planning. When it’s on paper, excuses don’t survive.

2. Saying no without guilt

Every unnecessary yes was stealing time from obedience. Boundaries didn’t restrict me—they created space for alignment.

3. Inviting God into my planning

Not just into emergencies. Not as a backup plan. But into strategy. Order replaced chaos when God became part of the plan—not an afterthought.

A gentle but firm reminder "You don’t need to rush. You don’t need to do everything."

But you do need to do what He already told you to do.

Start there.

That’s not slow—that’s wise.