You’ve heard me say it before, but I’m going to say it again:

your purpose in life will never change, but your strategy will constantly change.

It’s not only true personally, but it’s also true for organizations, businesses, and nonprofits like ours. God is always doing something new, and it’s up to us to follow His lead and be obedient to that still small voice.

After the pandemic, we saw a shift in how women were experiencing their faith and how their needs were different. There has been a dip in volunteering at church, fewer women are taking risks to start something new, and many are still adjusting to the new normal of work, church, and relationships.

Through this process, we had to shift how we reached women and what we offered by launching new programs like Mastermind during our monthly events and hosting virtual classes as well. But through it all, there were a couple of things I had to relearn—things I already knew but lessons I needed to revisit so that we could continue to do the work and ministry that was before us in a relevant, fresh way. So hopefully, if you are in a season of change or feel a new season is on the horizon, I hope these two thoughts will help you.

Two ways to shift without stopping:

1.    Be open.

Be open about what you are doing, and bring others into the process. People are invested in you, not what you do, so share and be transparent along the way. You’ll be surprised at what you learn from others as you share and who God uses to cheer you on, give you creative strategies, and pray for you.

2.    Don’t be afraid to pause.

Now, I know that’s opposite of not stopping, but you can pause without totally stopping, so just hear me out.

I remember reaching out through Facebook to a woman I didn’t even know and asking for her advice early in our ministry. I had been watching her, and she was doing something very similar to what we were doing, so I took a risk and reached out. I shared my struggle and how I felt I needed to stop what I was doing but didn’t know how to do it. Her words to me were this and I’ll never forget the sassiness behind her words:

“Girl, you know how many times I’ve paused, and no one even knew!”

It was like a breath of fresh air, and as she explained, the plan became crystal clear and pausing certain things didn’t seem so scary anymore. We would continue things like blogging but pause some of our bigger projects. It made sense: we didn’t go away; we just hit pause on some things, without stopping others.

Because of social media, we tend to think everyone is watching every little detail about what we do. We announce when we are taking a break or going on vacation and sometimes even apologize to our “followers” for being away from social too long.

Did anyone even notice?

What I’m trying to say is, don’t put so much pressure on yourself to please others. You can continue the work behind the scenes while pausing the public part of your business. It’s a type of pause without totally stopping. And while you are adjusting some things behind the scenes, go back to tip number one and share the process. It will bring you relief and clear space for God to share what’s next. You never know when or how He will speak, but sometimes pushing pause is just what’s needed to create a new strategy.

XOXO,

Heather

Heather Frierson

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