" God wants us to step out from the burden of our concerns and surrender the weight to Him."
onto things I’ m better off asking for help with.
We all have the tendency to hold on to things we should let go of, and this is true in so many areas of our lives. Some of this tendency is due to our human nature; we may not want to surrender certain things because we feel we ' re the best person to handle them. And sometimes, that ' s true. But we often hold on to things because that ' s what the world tells us to do.
Our culture really values self-sufficiency, doesn ' t it? We love stories of people who push through, of people overcoming challenges. " Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!" It’ s almost like we’ re expected to handle everything on our own. Asking for help? That can still feel like a sign of weakness. The world says it values mental health and self-care, but the sad truth is that it only does so if it doesn ' t inconvenience anyone else.
The reality is that so many of us carry burdens too heavy to bear alone. From work stress to family struggles, self-doubt, health issues, and everything in between, it all adds up. And yet, the world says, " Hold on tight, do the best you can, and hope it all works out."
But I want to remind you, friend, you don’ t have to carry it all on your own. Thankfully, oh so thankfully, that’ s not the way God works.
God is many things. And, so much of who He is centers around His role as burden-lifter. Over and over again in Scripture, God calls us to surrender our cares and concerns to Him. One of the places we see this is in Psalm 55:22. " Cast your burden on the Lord,” writes David,“ and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Cast your burden on the Lord!
What a wonderful counter to the logic of the world.
The opposite of holding on tight is letting go. God wants us to step out from the burden of our concerns and surrender the weight to Him. Matthew 11, one of the most comforting promises in the Bible, shows God ' s heart for those of us who are tired: " Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”( Matthew 11:28-30). What a promise!
" God wants us to step out from the burden of our concerns and surrender the weight to Him."
If I’ m honest, this one can be tough for me. I tend to cling to things, believing I can solve them on my own or find the right solution under my own power. If I think hard enough and plan long enough, I can devise a solution to my problems. It ' s not that I doubt God ' s wisdom or sovereignty; it’ s just that letting go is challenging for me.
I notice this especially when I struggle to slow down long enough to redirect my thoughts to God and His plans. Most days, I just keep moving ahead. I don’ t stop long enough to ask,
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