In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I find myself deeply grateful that God allows me to pour into others. He has given me the privilege to share His love, to offer encouragement, and to stand as a living testimony of His healing power.  After spending much of 2024 sick and limited, I made a quiet promise to the Lord: my healing would not be in vain. With renewed strength and energy, I wanted to serve, to give, and to show up for others in meaningful ways.

But over the past few weeks, I’ve felt worn down, overwhelmed, and anxious. When your heart wants to see people whole, you almost feel responsible for filling every gap and solving every problem. And when you remember the sacrifice Jesus made for you, it’s easy to slip into thinking that a life of endless self-sacrifice is simply what you owe in return. So you stretch yourself thin. You say yes even when you’re empty. You get pulled in every direction and tell yourself this must be part of the journey.

A living sacrifice is not a burnt-out sacrifice.

It’s a surrendered one.

A few weeks ago, someone offered me wise counsel that I didn’t fully understand at first: “Go at God’s pace.” I wrestled with it. Was God telling me to slow down? Speed up? Do more? Do less? I kept trying to interpret the speed.

I realized the message was not about speed at all.

When we move at God’s pace, whatever that looks like in a given season, we move with His strength. We move with the tools He provides. We move with endurance, with peace, without the constant fog of exhaustion and anxiety. God’s pace carries grace; my pace often carried pressure.

If I’m honest, in my rush to do what I thought was right, my prayer life slipped. My study time became shallow. The very work I believed I was doing for God slowly began pulling me away from Him. The busyness became a distraction dressed up as purpose.

So I’m reminding myself and encouraging you too, to let the Holy Spirit lead in this chaotic world. We were never meant to fix everything. We were never asked to carry every burden. Trying to solve every problem is not noble; it’s impossible.

But when we move at God’s pace, we become effective. Not because of our own strength or talent or good intentions, but because His power flows through a willing vessel. His spirit does the work. Our obedience opens the door.

And that, more than anything, is what truly changes things.

This Thanksgiving, may we embrace the blessing of being used by God, without forgetting to move with Him, not ahead of Him. May our service be fueled by His strength, and may our pace be set by His wisdom, so that we can pour into others from a place of fullness rather than exhaustion.