How Do You Carry What God Gave You? - Episode 13

What happens after you say yes and after you've waited?

Last week we talked about the wait w a I t that quiet in between after obedience.

But today we're shifting to something different.

Not the weight,

but the weight.

W e I g h t the weight of carrying what God gave you.

Because every yes comes with both.

Welcome to my question for you. I'm your host, Melissa, and this is part three of our four, four part Christmas series on what obedience really looks like after the yes.

Saying yes takes courage.

Waiting stretches your faith.

But carrying,

carrying reveals what obedience costs.

So today my question for you is how do you carry what God gave you?

As we continue our story from last week, when we're thinking about Mary,

especially in the context of Christmas,

we always, of course, think about the manger scene, about the birth of Jesus.

We see her as peaceful and glowing.

But we all know real obedience rarely looks like a Christmas card.

Mary carried Jesus,

but she also carried the weight of whispers and judgment.

Her fiance Joseph's confusion before his dream and before he came into a real understanding about exactly what was happening and what Mary was truly carrying.

She carried the weight of her parents worry,

the loss of her reputation,

long days of uncertainty and not really understanding the full impact of what was happening, but just knowing that she received a word and she was walking in obedience.

But she also carried the physical exhaustion of pregnancy and the emotional loneliness of carrying a miracle that no one else could see.

And you don't have to know all the details of Mary's story to understand this part.

She was a real person.

She was a real young woman facing real pressure,

real uncertainty and real opinions that she never asked for.

Her obedience didn't feel holy in the moment.

In fact, I'm sure it had to feel heavy.

If Mary lived today,

her story would sound something like this.

Someone stepping into a calling that other people don't understand.

Carrying something people can't see and dealing with conversations,

doubt and assumptions that don't reflect what God is doing inside her.

From the outside,

Mary looked complicated,

misunderstood and questionable.

But from God's perspective,

she was carrying redemption.

Redemption for his people.

And her story shows us this.

Obedience doesn't always feel holy while you're carrying it.

Sometimes it just feels heavy.

Maybe today you're carrying something too.

It could be a calling,

a dream,

a promise,

a direction,

or maybe a desire that just won't leave you alone.

Something got whispered to your spirit that feels beautiful yet heavy.

And maybe people don't understand.

Maybe you can't explain it.

Maybe what God gave you is Invisible to everyone but you.

Some days the weight strengthens you,

but some days the weight wears on you. It wears you down.

And sometimes deep down,

you start to wonder,

God,

is this too much for me?

You're carrying something holy, and holy things come with weight.

The Bible shows us repeatedly that God gives strength to those he assigns.

In Luke chapter 1:35,

it says, before Mary ever carried Jesus, the angel told her,

the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

In other words,

it was saying,

you won't have to carry this alone.

In Matthew chapter one,

we see Joseph's dream.

When Joseph planned to leave Mary, God intervened.

He sent Joseph a dream to confirm what Mary already knew in her heart so she didn't have to carry the weight alone.

In Luke chapter two,

it shows us the journey to Bethlehem.

Mary traveled miles. At nine months pregnant,

she was exhausted, uncomfortable, and stretched thin.

But she made it because God sustained her step by step.

God never gives a calling without also giving the strength to carry it.

Mary's story gives us real, everyday wisdom for carrying what God gave us.

Let's look at a few practical,

simple things that you can carry with you to help you when you're in this season of carrying, things that maybe you don't understand.

The first one is carry it one day at a time.

Mary didn't carry the whole future all at once.

She just carried that day's obedience.

You don't need strength for the year. You just need strength for today.

Just make it through the day.

The second one is this.

Lean on the people God sends.

Mary went to Elizabeth.

Joseph was strengthened by a dream shepherd showing up with confirmation.

God surrounded Mary with people who lifted her faith, not drained it.

Look for the people who will help you carry your assignment.

Number three,

let God grow what he gave you.

Mary carried Jesus,

but she didn't grow Jesus.

God did.

You don't have to force the promise. You don't have to make it happen.

Your job is to carry it.

God's job is to develop it.

Number four,

rest when you're tired,

not when you're done.

And this one is so important to let it sink into your spirit, because I know a lot of people who just go and go and go,

and it's so important to recognize what your body is telling you. We've talked about this before in another podcast, and we should know that it's so important to rest when you're tired and not just when you feel like you reach the end.

Mary rested in Elizabeth's home.

She rested on the journey,

and she even rested in the stillness of the stable.

Rest isn't quitting.

Rest is part of the caring process.

So it's so important that you take time out to refresh and re energize your body and your spirit.

5.

Remember why you said yes when the weight gets heavy,

I want you to go back to the moment God spoke.

The clarity, the peace, the conviction when you felt it deep in your heart and you knew that. You knew that. You knew that God was speaking to you.

Strength often lives in the memory,

so from time to time you have to remind yourself of why you said yes to God in the first place.

And number six.

Remember weight builds strength.

If you've ever lifted weights, you know this.

The heavier the weight, the stronger you become.

It feels awkward at first,

uncomfortable, too much. You get tired. You want to give up. Your arms are shaking, your legs are wobbling. But over time,

you grow into what once felt impossible.

God is not trying to crush you. He's strengthening you.

Every time you carry what God gave you,

you build not only spiritual muscle, but you're building endurance,

resilience,

confidence,

trust,

and the deeper dependence on God.

The weight is shaping you for what God has already planned next.

So trust the process and let it do what it needs to do. Let God work in you the way he's trying to work in you.

I'd like to leave you with an affirmation to help carry with you as we come to the end of this year and are moving into a new season.

I hope that you will think on this affirmation and just repeat it to yourself from time to time. Whenever you're feeling a little weary,

I want you to just think about and say,

God trusted me with this.

God will grow this in his timing and God will strengthen me as I carry what he placed in my spirit.

Say that slowly.

Say it when the weight feels heavy and let it remind you you're not doing this alone.

Mary carried something from God long before the world could see it,

and you will too.

And like Mary, you don't have to understand everything to keep carrying what God placed in your spirit.

Just remember what God entrusted to you.

He will strengthen you to carry.

You are not walking alone.

You are not carrying this alone.

And you were chosen for this assignment on purpose.

Until next time,

keep asking,

keep listening,

and keep trusting the one who strengthens you to carry what only you can carry.

Before you go.

If this episode stirred something in you,

don't let it stop here.

Join the growing. My question for you community at myquestion for you.com and get my free Reflection Guide. It follows along with each weekly episode and gives you more ways to dive in and grow closer to God.

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