Dear beautiful,

What if the thing exhausting you most is not what you are carrying, but what you are trying to control?

Sometimes we become so focused on making sure everything works out that we forget something important: God never asked us to carry the responsibility of controlling the outcome. He asked us to trust Him.

I know how easy it is to fall into that place. You pray about something, but then you keep checking, calculating, planning, replaying conversations, imagining every possible outcome and wondering what you could do differently to make things happen. You tell yourself you are simply being responsible, but somewhere along the way, responsibility quietly turns into control.

And control is exhausting.

There is a difference between doing your part and trying to do God's part too.

You are responsible for your obedience. You are responsible for preparing, showing up, doing the work, making wise decisions, having the conversation, submitting the application, starting the business, serving faithfully, praying, learning and taking the step God has placed in front of you.

But you are not responsible for controlling how everything turns out.

You cannot control people's decisions. You cannot control timing. You cannot control every opportunity that comes your way or every door that closes. You cannot control how quickly a prayer is answered or how God chooses to work behind the scenes.

And sometimes, the hardest part of faith is doing what you can do and then releasing what you cannot.

Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Notice that Scripture does not tell you to understand everything before you trust. It tells you to trust Him.

That is faith!

Faith does not mean you stop caring. It means you stop believing that everything depends on you.

Maybe this is where some of the faith we have been talking about this week becomes real. You have already learned that you may have more faith than you think. You do not need the whole map to take the next step. Your disappointment does not mean God has abandoned you. Your “yes” does not have to wait until you feel completely confident. You can trust God while you wait.

And now, you can trust Him with what you cannot control.Perhaps you have been carrying an outcome God never asked you to carry.

Today, I want you to put it down.

Take a moment and write down one thing you need to stop trying to control. It may be a relationship, a financial situation, a decision, a business opportunity, your future, your children, your ministry, or simply the timing of something you have been praying about.

Write it down.

Then tell God honestly, “Lord, I will do my part, but I surrender the outcome to You. Help me trust You with what I cannot control.” You do not have to know how everything will work out. You only need to know Who holds your future.

Your responsibility is obedience. The outcome belongs to God.

And there is more faith in you than you may realize. Sometimes that faith grows when you finally stop trying to hold everything together and place it back into the hands of the One who was holding it all along.

Take the step. Do your part. Then trust God with the rest.

With love,

Your sister in Christ, love and prosperity.

Tonya Harden

Author | Life Coach | Purpose Mentor