Episode #27 Letting Go of the Stress – Rest More Resolution

Have you ever been stressed out looking at a problem that you knew was just beyond your control?

Or have you ever felt that weight, of seeing needs that need to be met and knowing that no matter how much you really want to meet the need, it's beyond your control?

Or maybe you've stewarded a dream, you've felt that yearning in your heart, you've dreamed about something big, something worth working toward, worth fighting for-and at the same time, you knew the dream was far too large for you to be able to accomplish on your own. Can you relate to that?

I know I sure can, and I actually relate to all of those. And I've also been able to experience, time and time again, the difference that it makes when I'm able to know what's mine to carry, what is my part to play, and what are the things that I can be trusting back to the Lord as we're navigating the season together.

So if you can relate to that desire to see God come through in ways that only he can, stay tuned because that's exactly what we're talking with God about today.

There are so many things in my life that I try to pick up that are actually not my responsibility. They're not the things that God would have me pick up. It's not part of what he's asked me to do or even what it looks like for me to do the things that He's asked me to do.

And so I'll give you an example of that. Several years ago, I felt like God had dropped a dream in my heart for a book, this concept of what it would look like for a wife to partner with God in what he's doing in her marriage. And what that looks like to see how we live as wives if we're married, as expressions of our faith. And so I started this process of learning how to write and writing the book, and learning things about the publishing industry. And cutting the very long, multi-year story, into a shorter segment here, there were different points along the journey when I would try to pick up responsibilities that were not mine to carry.

One of those moments that stands out for me, is in the process of working with an agent and she is pitching the book to publishers. I was prepared for some "no's", but along the way some of the no's started to get a little bit discouraging. I still remember a specific day that the Lord and I are discussing this weight that I was feeling about this book. And really, part of the pain I was experiencing in that moment was I truly felt like if he had given the book to somebody else, it would've been out in the world and helping people already.

So I'm telling God, this, God, you should have given this book to somebody else. Why didn't you give this to somebody else? God, I, I feel like I'm failing at this.

And he so clearly communicated back to me in my spirit, I didn't tell you to figure out how it was going to get published. I told you to write it. You keep doing your part. I will do my part. We don't always get to see the direct correlation between what we're doing and how God is moving.

But in a matter of weeks, within two weeks of that conversation that I had with the Lord, I got an offer from my publisher and A Wife's Secret to Happiness, came out in 2017.

And part of watching that play out was this conversation that I had with God. Was being able to see that I was picking up something that wasn't my responsibility and I needed to trust God with the part that I couldn't make happen.

I've gotten to see this play out in multiple seasons, in various different circumstances in my life, as I'm sure that you have too. I'm constantly invited by the Lord to come back to him and receive peace from him that only he can give me to receive insight or provision from him that I can't possibly achieve on my own. There's opportunities for me to go back to God and ask him, Lord, what's my part in this? And what's your part? What are the things that I can do? What are the things that you are doing? Will you show me some of what you're doing?

Will you show me what your part is and show me if I'm starting to pick up those pieces that are not truly mine to carry?

As I was thinking about this today, a verse came to mind and so I'm gonna read it for us. It's from 1 Peter 5:6-7, and it says, "humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

We can cast our anxieties on God because he cares for us. Because of the care that he already has, we don't have to pick up the things that are not ours to carry. We can throw our anxieties at his feet.

Not because it's not a significant thing to be weighing on my heart or mind. Not because it doesn't really matter. Because God cares for me, I can entrust him with the things that are big, that are significant, and that do matter.

I love how verse six talks about how we can humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time, he will lift us up. So much of navigating what's mine to carry has to do with trusting God to know the proper time. Okay, Lord, how can I stay humble before you? Do I truly trust you to handle this? Or am I exalting my own ability or my own needs to say, I need to take this on myself. I can't really cast this care and trust that you're going to catch it, so instead, I'm gonna keep carrying it on my own. And the life change that comes from this, is on a regular basis, I am able to go to God and ask him: Lord, what does it look like for me to steward what's in my hands today?

So here's our question to ask God today, in light of everything going on in your life and the things that are heavy on your mind or your heart, let's start talking with him about it. And here's the question:

God, is there anything that I'm caring today, that I'm not meant to carry? Please show me and show me what you'd like me to do about it.

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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