You Don't Have to Carry It Alone

From the pages of Exhale: 31 Devotions for the Soul, By Samuel C. Petty

The Anchor

Matthew 11:28 (NLT) – “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

There’s a kind of tiredness that goes deeper than physical exhaustion. It lives in your soul, the kind of weariness that makes it hard to feel, to hope, or even to pray. If you've ever felt that, you're not alone. But it’s not always the pace of life that wears us down. Sometimes, it’s the weight we’ve picked up along the way—burdens we were never meant to carry.

The Release

So many of us are walking around holding things God never asked us to carry. We carry the pressure to keep everyone happy. We carry guilt over things we couldn’t control. We carry the shame of old decisions, the wounds of past relationships, and the silent weight of trying to fix people or situations that are far beyond our ability to repair. We do it out of love, out of habit, out of fear. But no matter the reason, these burdens slowly drain our emotional and spiritual strength.

Jesus offers us another way. He says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary…and I will give you rest.” That invitation is not poetic fluff—it’s a lifeline. You were never meant to be the Savior in your own story. You don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders. That job is already taken, and Jesus is more than able to hold what you cannot.

Healing often begins with release—when we lay down what isn’t ours and return to what is. It’s about trusting God with what we can’t control, surrendering the burdens that were never meant to sit in our hands, and receiving the rest only He can give. You can stop striving. You can breathe again. Not because everything is perfect, but because God is still in control.

The Pause

Take a moment to reflect.

• What burdens am I carrying right now that may not be mine to carry?

• What would it look like to place those burdens into God's hands today?

Sometimes what you need most is not more strength, but more surrender.

The Movement

Here’s a simple but powerful step you can take today:

Grab a piece of paper or open a note on your phone. Make a list of the responsibilities, emotional weights, and expectations you’ve been carrying lately, especially the ones that feel heavy or overwhelming. Then go back through the list and circle the ones that actually belong to God, not you.

After that, take a moment and pray. Hand each one over to Him. Don’t rush it. This is part of how you begin to live lighter—by releasing what was never yours to hold.

The Surrender

Jesus, I’m tired of carrying what was never mine. I surrender the pressure, the guilt, and the false responsibility I’ve been holding. Teach me to rest in You. I trust that You are strong enough to carry what I can’t. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

The Whisper

“You were never called to carry what only Jesus can hold.”

Read that again. Let it sink in. You were never meant to live exhausted, trying to be everything for everyone. You were created to live free, resting in the love of a God who carries what you cannot.

If this devotional spoke to you, it’s just one of 31 days from my new book Exhale: 31 Devotions for the Soul. This book was written for the worn-out, the emotionally drained, and the spiritually exhausted, people just like you and me who need to breathe again. You can grab your copy now on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback, by clicking the link below!

Get Your Copy of Exhale!