Where God Guides, He Provides: Finding God in the Slowdown

This week on It’s a Single Mom Thing, Sherry gets deeply personal as she shares what it’s looked like to trust God through an unexpected season of brain fog, medical challenges, slowed-down plans, and surrendered opportunities.

After last week’s episode Problems to Promise: When God Rewrites the Plan, this conversation dives even deeper into what happens when God’s provision doesn’t look the way we expected.

What if the interruption isn’t the punishment… but the provision?

Through honest reflections, spiritual insight, and real-time lessons, Sherry explores:

•  learning to slow down without guilt 
•  surrendering control 
•  trusting God in uncertainty 
•  allowing others to help 
•  recognizing God’s provision through people, redirection, and community 
•  and discovering that you are not alone—even when you live alone 

This episode is for the woman who feels exhausted, overwhelmed, delayed, interrupted, or unsure of what God is doing in this season.

Because sometimes… where God guides, He provides not through hustle—but through healing, surrender, and support.

If you need prayer or encouragement, Shepherd’s Village offers a 24-hour prayer line at 📞 855-822-PRAY and resources for single moms and women in transition at shepherdsvillage.com.

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Question

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to It's a Single Mom Thing, the show for single moms by single moms. This is Sherry, your host, and I am happy you are here today. Remember, it's a single mom thing, and not the single thing that stops you.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Last week on It's a Single Mom Thing, we talked about problems to promise when God rewrites the plan. And what's wild is I am still living that message right now. Because if I'm being honest, I thought provision would look like momentum, opportunities, progress, doors flying open. But lately, provision has looked a lot differently. It's looked like slowing down when I didn't want to, pausing opportunities I was excited about. Sitting and brain fog, doctors' visits, unexpected emotions, and learning that just because I am not functioning at 100%, well, it doesn't mean that God stopped moving either. And maybe that's the real lesson. Because somewhere along the way, we started believing that if we slow down, if we slow our roll, we'll miss what God has for us. But what if, and I want to challenge y'all listening, what if slowing down is exactly where God wants to meet us? What if the interruption isn't the punishment? What if it's the provision? Because listen, while I've been walking through one of the foggiest seasons mentally and physically, let me tell you what, God has still been guiding. Can I get an amen? Let me tell you, new connections, unexpected opportunities, divine redirection, people crossing my path at just the right time, moments where my entire day got rearranged. And yet somehow, God was still in every bit of it. Even as I look out my window, listen to me, and I just finished writing this podcast, there is a rainbow outside my window saying, Yeah, I'm still here for you, boo. And honestly, I think I'm realizing something in some real time. Where God guides, he provides. Not always the way we expect, not always on our timeline, and not always when we feel our strongest. So if you're in a season right now where things feel a little uncertain, delayed, like you're buffering, interrupted, even or unclear, well, girl, this episode is for you. Welcome

Provision That Looks Like Pause

SPEAKER_01 2:51

to another episode of It's a Single Mom Thing with your girl Sherry. And today, ladies, we are talking about what happens when God keeps providing, even in the slowdown. So when slowing down feels like falling behind. So I don't know who needs to hear this today, but slowing down does not mean God stopped working. And woo, girl, let me tell you, that's been hard for me. And if I can be real honest with you, it has been really hard for me. Your girl Sherry does not slow down. Because if I'm being honest, I am a mover and a shaker. I like momentum, I like purpose, I like feeling productive, I like knowing that I am building something. And this season, yeah, this season, it has forced me to slow down in ways I did not choose. I

The War In Your Mind

SPEAKER_01 3:46

think what's been hardest isn't even the physical symptoms, it's the mental battle that comes with them. And let me tell you what, it's been full-on war. Because when you're used to functioning at a certain level and suddenly you can't, your mind starts talking to you. You start wondering, am I falling behind? Am I missing opportunities? What if this changes everything? Or even what if I can't do what I used to? Let me tell you what, that's been crossing my mind a lot lately. And it's had me in some hard places. And as women, especially, single moms, listen, I know you know we've been conditioned to believe if we stop moving, everything falls apart, right? And the last thing we want are our babies' worlds to fall apart. But let me tell you what. What if I'm learning right now, and I'm here to share with you, and that is that God is not dependent on my constant motivation, on your constant motivation to move in our lives. Can I get an amen? Because I am going to be doing some preaching here. And listen, honestly, some of the opportunities I thought I wanted that I had to pause because I did have to put a hard pause in some. I had to put a boundaries in some places. I had to put a hard stop. Not because they weren't good. Honestly, they were excellent opportunities. But deep down, deep down, I knew I'm not ready to serve well until I'm well. And listen, that was hard for me to admit. Your girl Sherry doesn't just stop. Because listen, maybe this resonates with you because listen, we live in a culture that celebrates hustle, right? Push through, keep grinding, don't stop, don't miss your moment. But what if what if? What if wisdom sometimes sounds like pause? What if healing is productive too? Because here's the wild part. In the middle of me slowing my role, God never stopped moving. Actually, I think I started noticing him way more than I ever had before. Because while I've been sitting in brain fog, God has been rearranging things behind the scenes. Let me tell you what, I have met people unexpectedly who could bless our organization. A side opportunity, opportunity, listen to me, literally showed up after I paused everything. Conversations started happening. I never planned. Connections crossed my path at the exact right time. And you know what's really crazy here? As I'm even sitting here in my brain fog recording this, is that none of it came from striving harder. Let me tell you, it came while I was slowing down. And maybe, girls, maybe that's maybe that is the lesson for some of us right now. Maybe provision isn't always found in pushing harder. Maybe sometimes it's found in surrendering deeper. Because where God guides, he provides, even in the slowdown. God reorganized my day and my priorities. And can I tell you something else? This season has been teaching me something. God doesn't just guide our future, sometimes he actually guides our interruptions.

When Interruptions Become Guidance

SPEAKER_01 7:30

That's a peculiar thing, right? Because there have been multiple moments lately where I have an entire plan for my day. And you know me, I like me some post-it notes and I like my day planned. And suddenly everything changed. Appointments. Forgive me as I try to get through this. Sometimes my words get a little blurred too. Let's try this again. Appointments shifted. Conversations popped up unexpectedly. Things got delayed, people crossed my path I wasn't expecting, and plans got re-re. Oh my gravy. Listen, rerouted. See, you're getting the real, the wrong real Sherry here. Brain fog and all. And so, oh, this is funny. And normally that would frustrate me because listen, I like structure, I like efficiency, I like feeling on top of things. But lately, as you've heard, I've started asking myself, well, what if these interruptions aren't interruptions at all? I mean, think about it. What if God is actually answering a prayer, uh, a prayer? Let's try it again. Answering a prayer and reorganizing my day. Because he's reorganizing me. He had to reorganize some thoughts up in my head. Because listen, when life slows down unexpectedly, you start noticing things you used to rush past. I'm just saying that. That's going to be a mic drop for somebody. Because listen, people, conversations, your own emotions, the condition of your soul. And I think for a long time, I associated God's guidance with forward motion. Big opportunities, open doors, growth. But now, as I sit here a little slowed down, I'm realizing God's guidance also looks like uh not yet. Rest, slow down, go a different way, talk to this person, cancel that, sit with me here for a minute. And again, now as I look out my window, there is a double rainbow. So I know we are on target with this conversation. So honestly, I don't think I would have noticed some of these divine moments if I had stayed moving at my normal speed. Because in this foggy season, God has still been so intentional. There have been moments where I felt, I'm telling you, many moments, where I have felt mentally scattered, but somehow spiritually aware. And isn't that wild? Physically, I don't feel fully clear all the time right now. I don't. I don't know during the day when the brain fog's gonna clear away, and I don't know when it's gonna totally take over my mind. But something funny through that though, spiritually, I feel like God has been showing me things deeply, more deeply than ever. And lately, I honestly feel like God keeps whispering something to me, and this is what he says to me. It's different than you thought, yes? Uh that's a yes because it is. Maybe this resonates with you. I don't know, but for me, I thought provision would look one way. I thought opportunities would unfold a certain way. I thought guidance would feel clearer, faster, stronger. 5k and 10x in it. I thought if God was moving, I would feel powerful. But instead, I have felt dependent, slowed down, vulnerable, interrupted, like my mind is buffering. And yet, somehow, somehow, despite all of that, I have been more spiritually aware than I've ever been. And it's different than I thought. But maybe better, deeper, more aligned, because I'm realizing God isn't just trying to build my opportunities, He's shaping me while He leads me. And maybe, ladies, that's the same reason some of us are exhausted because we keep trying to outrun seasons. God intended us to walk through slowly. Girl, I have plenty of shoes in my closet where I have outrun some things. The one runaway bride movie could not be even. Oh, we ain't gonna go. That's podcast for another time. Girl, let me tell you what, this one has hit me too because maybe this season isn't here to stop me. Maybe it's here to reshape me. Maybe God isn't delaying my purpose, maybe he's deepening it. So maybe, because I'm helping someone out there right now who needed to hear this too. So let's

The Surrender Survival Taught Us

SPEAKER_01 12:41

talk about the surrender I didn't want, because I'm guessing you're not gonna want it either. So maybe that's where the real battle has been, at least for me. Maybe it is for you too. Not just in my case, the physical symptoms, not just the brain fog, but let's be real, the surrender. Because if I'm being honest, this season has forced me to say, uh, okay, God, uncle. Like literally, like uh he's had to like hit my hand and just like, are you ready to let go? Yeah, girl. And let me tell you what, I don't think we talk enough about how hard surrender actually is. Am I right? Especially for women who had to survive. Because what does survival teach us? It teaches us to push through, figure it out, carry more, keep going, don't stop, don't depend on anybody. Am I right? And as a single mom and single moms, listen, a lot of us became strong because we had to. But somewhere along the way, I think strength can quietly turn into self-reliance. And then I think this season, for me anyways, exposed that in me. Because normally I can push through almost anything. Tired, push through, overwhelmed. Oh, yeah, I could push through. Emotionally drained, I'm pushing through. But this I couldn't. The brain fog literally forced me to slow down, the dizziness forced me to pause, the uncertainty forced me to loosen my grip. And honestly, I think God allowed it because I would not have stopped otherwise. That's hard to admit. Because sometimes we think surrender looks like beautiful and spiritual, spiritual and peaceful, right? But sometimes I tend to think surrender looks more like canceling plans, taking naps, saying no, letting people help you, not having all the answers, admitting you're not okay, pausing opportunities and realizing you can't carry everything yourself. And maybe for the first time in a long, long time, for me, anyways, I stopped trying to hold everything together. And can I tell you what happened when I loosened my grip just a little? God didn't drop me. The world didn't fall apart. And actually, I started seeing his hand more clearly than ever. Because when I finally stopped forcing, I started noticing God providing. Not always through huge miracles, but through daily moments. I'm talking about the right conversations, the right timing, a redirected day, a new connection, an unexpected opportunity, peace showing up in small pockets and strength just for that day. That's just to name a few. And maybe that's what surrender really is. Not giving up, but finally giving God room to lead. Ooh, can I get an amen there, right? Because that's what he wants to do. He wants to lead. Because I think sometimes we ask God to guide us and while still gripping the steering wheel ourselves, right? We're like, oh yeah, okay, Jesus, take the wheel. And we're like, nope, not so much. I'm gonna keep driving. Jesus just sit in the passenger seat. And he's like, girl, give me the wheel. And this season, woo, that season has been teaching me God guides differently when you finally let him lead. So what do you do when God slows you down?

Four Practices For Slow Seasons

SPEAKER_01 16:26

When he takes the steering wheel. Well, this is what you're gonna do. So maybe the question then becomes, what do we actually do in seasons like this? Because it's one thing to talk about surrender, it's another thing to live it. Especially when your life feels uncertain, when your body feels off, when your emotions feel heavy, when your plans change unexpectedly, when you feel behind, when you don't feel like yourself. Can any single mom listening to this relate to that? So what do you do? Well, I can only tell you what I'm learning right now in real lifetime. First, stop fighting the slowdown. Because I think some of us are exhausting ourselves, trying to force ourselves back into a version of us that God is desperately trying to grow us beyond. And that doesn't mean quit. It doesn't mean stop living, it doesn't mean isolate either. But it may mean resting without guilt. Oh yes. Girls, you need to hear that saying no without explaining. Oh yes, you need to hear that. Taking care of your body, giving yourself grace, letting healing happen. Healing happen slowly. Maybe I need to speak a little slowly. Because girls, listen, healing, hear my heart. Healing is not weakness, healing is wisdom. Second, pay attention to what God is doing instead of only focusing on what stopped. This for me changed everything. Because I could have stayed focused on the opportunities I paused, the plans that changed, the frustration, the fog. But when I shifted, and I'm giving you some real application here, when I shifted my focus, when I realized God was still moving everywhere with the new connections, new perspective, new clarity, new peace, new opportunities that I never expected, nor in my best day could have ever planned. And honestly, some of those things only showed up because I slowed down enough to notice them. And third, stop measuring. And I'm gonna say this again: stop measuring your worth by your productivity. No, not today. That one is for somebody today who needed to hear that. Am I right? Stop measuring your worth by your productivity because if your only value comes from performing, you'll feel lost anytime life forces you to pause. But your worth, hear me out. Your worth was never in your hustle. It was never in how much you produce. It was never in how much you carry. I don't care if you're like me, you're one of those, I'm gonna carry all the groceries bags in one trip, kind of girl. That is not where our worth comes from. You are still valuable when you rest, you are still valuable when you heal, you are still valuable when you don't have all the answers, and I tend to think you're even worth more when you do those things. And lastly, and this might hit softly, I'm gonna hit the softly. Trust that God can still guide even when you don't feel fully clear. Because this has been huge for me. I kept thinking, once I feel better, then I'll move forward. But God kept showing me I'm still here in this version of you too. And maybe that's the encouragement someone needs to hear today. You don't have to wait until you feel perfectly strong, perfectly healed, perfectly confident, perfectly clear to still walk with God. Because let me tell you what, I may be walking a little sideways right now. Don't test me for a sobriety test. I probably would fail if you were watching my walk. But I still walk with God even if I'm a little shaky. So we've got here's the truth: God's still holding me up. Sometimes faith looks like taking the next small step while you still feel shaky, while your head's in a fog and you have no direction where you're going. And maybe that's enough for today.

You May Live Alone

SPEAKER_01 21:06

You were never meant to carry it alone. So as I close, and maybe that's the biggest thing this season has taught me, and I hope it is helping someone else listening, that I'm not alone even when I live alone. Whew, that realization, ladies, has hit me like a Mac truck. Because I think and have thought for a long time that survival mode had taught me that you handle it yourself, you figure it out. You don't need anybody. Just keep moving, girl. Don't burden people, keep it moving, keep it moving. But on the contrary, this season, God has been gently breaking that mindset in me. Because when the brain fog hit, when the dizziness came, and when the emotions surfaced, when the plans changed, I realized something. I actually needed people. And let me Tell you what, that was hard for me, not because people were willing, but because sometimes and this is gonna hit someone, I'm telling you, sometimes strong women forget that they're allowed to need support too. So maybe somebody listening today needed to hear that. And asking for help, let me tell you what, it's not weakness. Letting people love you is not weakness. Letting people pray for you is not weakness. Letting people show up for you is not weakness, and I'm gonna keep saying that. It's human and honestly, I think that's part of what God has been teaching me through all of that. All of this, let's say it correct. That his promise is still true, not just in the good moments, but in the hard ones, in the messy ones too. If you listen to the podcast episode last week, you remember that we talked about problems to promise when God rewrites a plan. And I think this week I'm realizing something even deeper than that one, that God's promises they don't disappear in the problems. Sometimes they become more real there. Because God said in his word, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And for me, maybe I understood that scripture intellectually before. But now I am experiencing it. Not perfectly, not emotionally strong every second. I have cried many of times. So it's not come without tears, not without hard moments, but it has come consistently. God has been present through people, through interruptions, through provision, through unexpected conversations, through community, and through moments where I felt held together when I couldn't even hold myself together. And maybe that's why this podcast exists in the first place. Because none of us were meant to walk through hard seasons alone. I do believe he's called us to be the church. And that's why Shepherd's Village exists. If I can be honest with you, that's why our resources exist, that's why our prayer line exists. Honestly, we have learned this during COVID. When everything got interrupted, we had to find new ways to show up for moms, new ways to stay connected, new ways to remind women, you are not alone, girl. And maybe that's the reminder today. You may live alone, but you're not alone. You have God, you have community, you have people who care, you have a village of support.

Prayer Line And Closing Blessing

SPEAKER_01 24:50

And if you're in a season right now where you need prayer, where you need someone to stand with you, please reach out. We have a 24-hour prayer line at 855-822 Pray. Someone is there. Someone will pray with you. Someone will remind you that you don't have to carry this season by yourself. So as I close, this is it's the single mom thing, and I am your girl Sherry. And today I just want to leave you with this. Trust me when I say where God guides, He provides. Sometimes through strength, sometimes through slowing down, sometimes through people, but always through his presence. Have a wonderful break. Have a wonderful week, and remember it's a single mom thing, and not the single thing that stops you.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Thanks for listening to It's a Single Mom Thing. I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or to do prayer, visit us at www.shepherd's village.com backslash prayer. For more information and resources, check out our show notes.