What Are You Carrying That God Never Asked You to Keep?

Lately I've been thinking about the things we carry. Not just our responsibilities, but the invisible things. The expectations. The guilt. The unhealthy habits. The commitments we should have never made. The relationships we've held onto long after God released us from them.

As I reflected on Hebrews 12, I noticed something. The verse doesn't only tell us to lay aside sin. It also tells us to lay aside every weight. Not every weight is sinful. Some things are simply too heavy. Some things were never ours to carry in the first place. That thought kept bringing me back to a question I've started asking myself:

Did God ask me to carry this?

It's a surprisingly revealing question. Sometimes we take on burdens because we want to help. We don't want to disappoint anyone. Sometimes because we think we're strong enough to handle it ourselves. But, Scripture paints a different picture. Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly invites His people to bring everything to Him. Not just the overwhelming moments, but the ordinary ones too. We often divide life into "big enough for God" and "small enough for me," but God never makes that distinction.

He simply says, "Come."

One passage stays with me. When Israel turned to false gods, they adopted practices that God had never commanded. His response was striking:

"I never asked you to do that."

That sentence has echoed in my heart ever since. How many things am I carrying because I assumed God wanted me to? How many burdens have I picked up simply because they seemed like the responsible thing to do? 

Sometimes the answer is uncomfortable. Maybe it's an unhealthy habit that keeps pulling us back into old ways of living. Maybe it's a commitment that slowly steals the time and energy God intended for something else. Maybe it's unrealistic expectations we've placed on ourselves or others. Or maybe it's a relationship we've continued to carry long after God intended it to serve its purpose.

Not every opportunity is an assignment. Not every burden belongs on your shoulders. Jesus offers a better invitation:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

He doesn't tell us to become stronger. He tells us to come. Perhaps the greatest act of faith isn't carrying more. Maybe it's finally laying something down. This week, take an honest inventory of your life. Look at your schedule, commitments, relationships. Even look at the expectations you've placed on yourself. Then ask one simple question:

Did God ask me to carry this?

If the answer is no, maybe it's time to place it back into the hands of the One who was always meant to carry it.

~ Selah