Carrying What Isn't Yours

READ: PSALM 55:22; MATTHEW 11:28-30; JOHN 1:19-20; 1 PETER 5:7

Monique was always considered the “responsible one.” The kind of friend who always checked in on everybody. At home, she was the one who kept the peace among siblings. And at school, she was that student who tried to get everything right. But lately, all that responsibility was starting to take its toll on her mental and emotional strength.

One day at the school cafeteria, her best friend joked, “Monique, you are basically everyone’s emotional support system—you’re our go-to person.” Though they laughed over it, the comment stung deeply—because it put words to something true. Monique truly cared about everything and everybody. And, somehow, she felt like others’ well-being was her responsibility.

That evening, as she read her Bible, she came to 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Although she’d read this verse many times, today one specific word caught her attention: all. Not just concerns about others’ welfare. Not just pressure about peace at home. Not just worries about her grades or the kinds of stress she was willing to admit to others. All of it.

She realized she had been trying to carry burdens Jesus never asked her to shoulder. Obviously, caring for others was a Christ-like thing to do—but trying to be their healer, fixer, or savior? Definitely not. That was a huge role, and it already belonged to someone way stronger. Monique exhaled. Thank you, Jesus.

Then she prayed an intense prayer—naming every fear, every pressure, every item on her “I’ll deal with it later” list that she’d shoved into her emotional and mental backpack. As she prayed, something began to lighten inside her: a sense of relief. • Sammy Mwatha

• Can you relate to today’s fictional story? Even if you’re not considered the “responsible one” who always tries to do everything right, chances are you still have responsibilities and anxieties weighing you down because, well, you’re human. Jesus cares for you deeply, and He doesn’t call you to handle everything on your own. Instead, He calls you to trust Him. And He will help you let go of whatever is not yours to carry. The truth is, you’re allowed to take a backseat, to rest, to breathe… because you are allowed to cast your cares on the Lord. Consider taking some time to name whatever is in your emotional and mental backpack to Jesus, thanking Him for carrying these burdens so you don’t have to.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)