When Being Strong Is Wearing You Out

We’re often praised for being independent. For holding things together. For pushing through without asking for help. Even in the church, we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that strong faith means never feeling overwhelmed. We start to believe that maturity looks like managing everything without ever struggling. But real strength isn’t about proving you can carry it all—it’s about resting in the One who already carries you. 

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” —1 Peter 5:7

This verse doesn’t suggest a polite handoff. “Cast” means to hurl, to throw with full release. God doesn’t ask us to manage our burdens better—He asks us to give them to Him completely.

Still, self-sufficiency is sneaky. It masks itself as responsibility, strength, or faithfulness. But underneath, it often carries fear rooted in pride: If I don’t hold it all together, everything will fall apart.

And here’s the truth: you can’t hold it all together. You were never meant to. That’s not failure—it’s freedom.

Jesus didn’t invite the weary to pick up more. He invited them to lay it down. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

What if strength looks more like surrender? What if faith looks like letting go instead of holding on tighter?

God isn’t asking you to carry the weight of your world. He’s asking you to trust Him with it.

Reflection Question:
Where have you been holding onto control out of fear—and what would it look like to give that to God?

Prayer:
Father, I confess I’ve tried to carry more than I was meant to. I’ve treated surrender like weakness, and self-reliance like virtue. But You didn’t design me to walk alone. Teach me how to trust You—not just in theory, but in the way I live and release what’s heavy. You are strong enough to hold it all. I am not. And I don’t have to be. Amen.

Further Reflection:
📖 2 Corinthians 3:5
📖 Psalm 55:22