Day 4: What Are You Carrying?
“Cast all your anxiety on him; because he cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
What are you carrying today?
Maybe it’s worry.
Maybe it’s fear.
Possibly it’s disappointment.
Or a relationship that isn’t where you want it to be.
You could be carrying concern for your children, your marriage, your health, your finances, or your future.
Maybe you’re carrying something from your past that you haven’t been able to let go of.
Or maybe you’re carrying something God has been asking you to surrender for a long time.
Sometimes we don’t even realize how much we’re carrying until we become still.
Over the last few days, we’ve talked about seeing the light, renewing our minds, and making time to be still with God.
And when we slow down, we may begin to notice what’s taking up so much space in our hearts.
Today, we’ll practice surrender.
You Were Never Meant to Carry It All.
We can become very good at carrying things.
We carry responsibilities.
Expectations.
Other people’s needs.
Our worries.
Or things we cannot control.
And sometimes we carry them for so long that we forget what it feels like to put them down.
But God’s Word tells us:
“Cast all your anxiety on him; for he cares for you.”
All your anxieties.
Not just the things that seem important enough to bring to God.
Not just the things you think you should be able to handle.
All of it.
God cares about what is weighing on your heart because He cares about you.
Surrender Is Trust.
Surrender doesn’t mean that we stop caring.
It doesn’t mean we become passive or stop doing what God has called us to do.
Surrender means recognizing what is ours to carry and what belongs in God’s hands.
We can make wise choices.
Apologize.
Forgive.
Have difficult conversations.
Take care of our health.
Make a plan.
Take the next right step.
But we cannot control another person’s choices.
We cannot control the future.
Or every outcome.
And we don’t have to.
We can do what God has given us to do and trust Him with what we cannot.
That’s surrender.
“God, I will be faithful with what You have placed in my hands, and I will trust You with what is outside of my control.”
What Happens When We Let Go?
There is something that happens when we open our hands and give something to God.
We make room.
Room for peace.
Faith.
Room to hear Him.
To breathe.
To receive what He wants to give us.
And sometimes the answer doesn’t come immediately.
Sometimes the circumstance doesn’t change.
But we begin to change.
Our hearts become softer.
The grip becomes looser.
Our minds become quieter.
And our trust becomes deeper.
We begin to realize that surrender isn’t about getting God to do what we want.
It’s about trusting Him with whatever comes next.
Remember Day 1?
We talked about walking by faith and not by sight.
Sometimes faith looks like saying:
“God, I don’t see what You’re doing, but I trust You.”
Your Day 4 Beautiful Life Challenge: Give It to God
Today, find a quiet place with your journal.
At the top of a page, write:
Then begin writing.
Write down the things you’ve been carrying.
The worry.
Your fear.
A person.
Or circumstance.
An unanswered prayer.
A decision.
The future.
Whatever comes to mind.
Don’t edit it.
Don’t try to make it sound spiritual.
Just be honest with God.
Then, one by one, surrender each thing to Him.
You might write:
Dear Heavenly Father…
“ I surrender my need to control ________.”
“ My fear about ________.”
“ My worry about ________.”
“ I surrender ________ to You.”
Then stop.
Don’t immediately move on to your next task.
Be still.
Take a few quiet minutes and ask:
“Lord, what do You want me to know about this?”
Then listen.
Write down what comes to your heart.
He may give you a Scripture.
Maybe He brings peace.
Or speaks directly to your heart.
Shows you something you need to do.
He may tell you something you need to release.
Or you may simply sense that He is with you.
You don’t have to force an answer.
Just make room to listen.
At the end of the page, write:
“What I surrendered:”
and then:
“What I sense God is showing me:”
Keep this page.
Come back to it later.
Sometimes we need to surrender something more than once. When you find yourself picking it back up, simply return to God and say:
A Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
“I surrender this all to You. Thank you that you help me trust You with it.” I give You the things I have been carrying. The things I cannot control, the things I cannot fix, and the things I don’t understand. Thank you for helping me trust You with them. For quieting my heart so I can hear You. Thank you for showing me what is mine to do and what I need to leave in Your hands. I am so thankful for caring about every part of my life. Thank you for teaching me to surrender, trust, and walk in Your peace. In Jesus name, Amen.
A beautiful life isn’t a life where everything is under our control.
It is a life where we know who is in control.
Today, open your hands.
Give God what you’ve been carrying.
Then be still long enough to hear what He wants to say.
Blessings to you!
Danelle
