The words
Father, I come to you with everything I have been carrying inside me. You know my heart. You know the worries I don't speak about, the people I love, and the things I feel I must somehow make right.
So many times I have told myself: I must be strong. I must find a way. I must take care of everything. And for so long, Father, I have tried. I thought this was love. I thought being strong meant never putting anything — and anyone — down.
But today, Father, I am tired. And I finally understand: I was never meant to carry everything alone.
Father, teach me to let go. Teach me to surrender without feeling guilty. Teach me that loving someone does not mean I must be able to save them. I am not their savior. I am not even the savior of myself. You are.
So I place into your hands the things I cannot control: the people I cannot protect, the problems I cannot solve, the future I cannot see. I give them all to you. Please take from my heart the weight that was never mine to carry.
Give me the courage to do what I can, the wisdom to know what I cannot do, and the faith to leave the rest with you.
Father, I am afraid sometimes. I worry that if I let go, everything will fall apart. I worry that letting go means abandoning the people I love. But perhaps letting go is not abandonment. Perhaps letting go is trust.
When I cannot see a way forward, remind me that you can. When I am afraid for someone I love, remind me that you love them even more than I ever could. And when I am tempted to take every burden back again, gently remind me: “My child, you gave this to me. Leave it here.”
Father, forgive me for believing everything depended on me. Forgive me for thinking I had to be strong all the time. And forgive me for forgetting that I am your child before I am anything else.
I don't want to live driven by fear anymore. I want to live by faith. I want to love without trying to control. I want to help without believing everything depends on me. I only need enough light for the next step.
Father, I give you my worries. I give you my fears. I give you the people I love. And I give you myself.
I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but you do. And Father, that is enough for me. I place my heart in your hands. I place my future in your hands. And I choose today to trust you.
I am your child. You are my Father. And I am finally learning that I don't have to carry the whole world. I only have to walk with you.
Amen.
A verse to hold on to
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)