Drop the Gym Bag

Read The Daily:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29

Anxiety doesn’t hit all at once and like Taitlyn wrote about on Monday—it stacks. One worry? Manageable. A hundred? Unbearable. At first, it’s just a thought: What if things don’t work out? But then more pile on—finances, relationships, regrets, the future. And before you know it, you’re carrying a weight you were never meant to hold.

Maybe you’ve been carrying anxiety for so long, you don’t even realize how heavy it’s gotten. But Jesus never said, “Let me help you carry that.” He said, “Give it to me.” The problem is, we often do the opposite—we tighten the straps. We hold on, thinking if we just plan better, work harder, or stress more, we’ll somehow find peace. But peace isn’t found in fixing everything—it’s found in surrendering to the One who already has.

A few weeks back, my wife and I were discussing when our son was born deaf and how for months, it was truly brutal mentally.  I remember telling her one day when he was a few months old that enough was enough.

We couldn’t flee it, fight it, fix it, or figure it out, so we just had to surrender it. 

We were thinking back on how true Jesus’ words were for us. We had been carrying so much—worries about the future, the pressure of responsibilities, the weight of things we couldn’t control. And then one day, we realized something: we had been carrying this anxiety like a really heavy gym bag, adjusting to the weight instead of removing it. We did something bold. We mentally and verbally dropped it, set it on the ground, and walked away from it, and prayed that this is the day we were going to surrender to the One who was in control.  And you know what? For both of us, the moment we let go, we felt lighter. Not because all our problems were solved, but because we finally understood—we were never meant to carry them alone.  Now I have to confess, we were tempted and often times would go back and try to pick up the weight again only to stop and remind ourselves we were never built to carry it in the first place.

Today, maybe Jesus is inviting you to do something radical—drop the gym bag. Stop gripping the weight like it’s yours to bear. Stop believing the lie that it’s all on you. Lay it at His feet, let Him bear it and walk away lighter than you walked in. What’s in your gym bag story today? And are you willing to let it go?

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: Mark 1:21-45 & 1 Corinthians 7:25-31

Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee. After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them. That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak. Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.  Mark 1:21-45

But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife. Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?  1 Corinthians 7:25-31

Read More – Bible Project Overviews: Mark, 1 Corinthians