I Don’t Have to Carry This Anymore

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28—words that have carried me through some of the heaviest seasons of my life:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

When Jesus said that, He wasn’t speaking to the version of us that has it all together. He was speaking to the weary woman. The one who’s been carrying silent pain for years. The one who smiles on the outside but feels like she’s unraveling on the inside. The little girl in me—the one who sometimes still feels unseen, overlooked, or just too much for others—she heard Him too.

He meant me. And He means you.

There have been moments in my life when I felt the weight of it all pressing down—responsibilities, expectations, disappointments. And I didn’t even realize I was carrying burdens that weren’t mine to carry. I just picked them up somewhere along the way—through trauma, through culture, through performance, through trying to hold it all together so no one would see the cracks.

But Jesus sees the cracks. And He doesn’t shame us for them.

He doesn’t say, “Here, carry this too.” He says, “Give it to Me.” And that changes everything.

I think back to times when I tried to hold it all—family, ministry, marriage, work, emotions I didn’t have time to process. I felt like I had to be strong for everyone. But here’s what I’m learning: strength isn’t about never falling apart. Strength is knowing where to fall—at the feet of Jesus.

He holds what I was never meant to hold.

There’s a little girl inside many of us who still aches from being ignored, misunderstood, or told she was too sensitive, too needy, too loud, or not enough. Maybe like me, you’ve spent years trying to prove you’re worthy, trying to earn love, trying to keep it together so no one sees the broken pieces.

But Jesus? He sees all of you—and still chooses to love and carry you.

He says, “Come to Me.” Not, “Fix yourself and then come.” Just come. We don’t have to earn His rest. We just receive it.

Sometimes I picture myself whispering back to Him through tears:“I don’t have to carry this anymore. Jesus has it.”

And friend, neither do you.

That weary version of you is safe with Him. That little girl inside of you? She’s safe too. You don’t have to hold it all together. You don’t have to pretend. You can release—the pressure, the fear, the guilt, the pain—and breathe.

Letting go doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re finally trusting the One who promised to carry your burdens and give you rest. You weren’t created to carry everything—you were created to walk with the One who carries you.

So today, I’m releasing some things. I’m letting go of what was never mine to hold. I’m resting in the truth that Jesus not only sees me—He holds me. And that is more than enough.

If you’ve been feeling like it’s all too much, whisper this with me:“I don’t have to carry this anymore. Jesus has it.”

Breathe in that truth. Let it settle into your soul. Let the weight lift off your shoulders. You don’t have to be everything for everyone—you just need to rest in the arms of the One who is everything.

Be blessed—and have a peaceful, releasing kind of day.

—Lisa