A few months ago, I was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease. As I got alone with God, and prayed for wisdom and healing, the Holy Spirit gave me a very strong message: "You need to stop pushing yourself, and start pacing yourself." This was the Lord's way of saying that if I was going to trust Him for my healing, I was going to have to cooperate with Him, and make some lifestyle changes.

Years ago, the Lord instructed me to build more "margin" into my life. A good definition of margin says: "Margin is the space between our load and our limits. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating. Margin is the opposite of overload." Since my diagnosis, I am getting more serious about creating "margin" in my life. I find myself telling people things like, "I already have enough going on during that week, and I cannot make any more plans." I can tell you with certainty that there will be times when you are going to have to disappoint some people in order to follow the Holy Spirit's leading.

I see a lot of sweet Christian people who habitually carry loads and burdens that are detrimental to their own health and well-being. If you are one of these precious people, let me share a Word with you that God gave me years ago. "For it is not [intended] that others be relieved [of their responsibility] and that you be burdened [unfairly], but that there be equality [in sharing the burden]." (2 Corinthians 8:13 AMP) Give this verse some serious thought, and ask the Lord how it might apply to you.

The Bible shows us clearly what God's will is for us when we are feeling overwhelmed or overloaded. Mark 6:31 (TPT) says: "There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to His disciples, 'Come, let's take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.'" When we break away from all the activity and noise, and seek the Lord for His wisdom and will, He will show us how to slow down and calm down, while still being productive and fruitful servants of His. Are you prepared to stop pushing yourself, and to start pacing yourself in the days ahead?

Prayer: Lord, it is the desire of my heart to finish my course with joy, and to complete the tasks that You give me on this earth. (Acts 20:24) Grant me the wisdom and self-discipline I need to create margin in my life, and to resist taking on burdens and responsibilities that are not Your will for me. Teach me how to regularly break away from the activity and noise of life, and to spend time alone in Your presence and Your Word. Thank You that as I follow Your lead, I will find all the rest, recovery, and healing I ever need!