Living Lightly — Releasing What We Were Never Meant to Carry

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Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome back to another episode of Living in Your Power.
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I'm your host, Dr. Marlene Greenleaf, and as always, you know,
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I am truly grateful that you have chosen to spend this time with me today.
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Now, as we close out our July theme, Living Free, Walking Daily in Purpose and Peace,
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we've spent this month the month of July discovering what freedom begins with
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choosing peace each day and embracing freedom that comes through forgiveness,
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so today,
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and I know it's late it is not Monday but today we bring those lessons together
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with one final invitation,
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an invitation to lay down the burdens we were never meant to carry.
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So today's episode, the fourth and final in our July series,
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is entitled Living Lightly, Releasing What We Were Never Meant to Carry.
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So let's dive in.
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Now, life has a way of placing responsibilities on our shoulders.
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I mean, some are ours to carry and others are not.
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Yet, over time, we begin collecting burdens without even realizing it.
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I mean, we carry other people's expectations. We carry disappointments.
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We carry guilt over things we cannot change.
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We carry the pressure to have all the answers, to be everything for everyone,
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and to never let anyone down.
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And eventually, my dear listeners, what began as a temporary wait becomes something we accept as normal.
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We become so accustomed to carrying heavy loads that we forget what it feels like to walk freely.
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Just because you've been carrying something for a long time doesn't mean it belongs to you.
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Now, Matthew 11, verse 20 through 30, Newtium James Version,
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it says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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Take my yoke upon you and lean on me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,
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and ye shall find rest unto your soul, for my yoke is easy.
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And my burden is light.
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Now I know you're very familiar with these verses. And I, I have always found comfort in these words.
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Because Jesus doesn't pretend that life won't become heavy. He never says that.
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He simply offers another way to carry it. Or perhaps more accurately.
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He offers to carry what we cannot.
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So notice the invitation. It says, come unto me.
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Not after you've figured everything out. Not after you've fixed every problem
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that you think you can fix.
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Not after you've become stronger.
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He says, come now, exactly as you are.
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Be it heavy be it tired be it overwhelmed he said because rest begins with surrender.
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One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is permission to travel lightly.
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Now, that doesn't mean avoiding responsibility. No, not at all.
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It in fact means learning the difference between responsibility and unnecessary burden.
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Sometimes we need to release the need to control every outcome.
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Sometimes we need to stop carrying other people's opinion.
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Sometimes we need to let go of unrealistic expectations we've placed on ourselves.
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And sometimes, sometimes we simply need to remember that we were never called
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to walk this journey alone.
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I have learned that peace grows when we stop holding everything so tightly.
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Trust grows when we loosen our grip.
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And freedom grows,
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where we release what we never,
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what was never ours to carry in the first place. I'm going to say that again.
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Freedom grows when we release what was never ours to carry in the first place.
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Living lightly isn't about doing less dearestness. It's about carrying it differently.
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Carrying it with grace, with trust, and with the confidence that God is walking
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beside us every step of the way.
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Now let's return to this beautiful invitation before we wrap up.
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It says, come on to me and I will give you rest.
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Man, what an incredible promise. I mean, it's not just physical rest, but rest for your soul.
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So as we close this month, I want you to spend a few moments reflecting on these questions.
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I want to ask yourself, what burden have I been carrying that God is inviting me to release?
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Am I holding on to responsibilities that were never mine to begin with?
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What would change if I truly trusted God with what feels too heavy?
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And how can I begin living more lightly this week?
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So I'm going to repeat that again.
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Reflect on these questions. What burden have I been carrying that God has invited me to release?
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Am I holding on to responsibilities that were never mine to begin with?
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What would change if I truly trusted God with what feels too heavy,
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and how can I begin living more lightly this week,
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now I know this is Saturday but still I want you to think on these reflect on
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these for me tell me what you come up with So remember,
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freedom often begins the moment we decide we no longer have to carry everything alone.
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So in closing, dear listeners, as we close this month's journey in July,
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I hope you'll remember this.
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Living free isn't about escaping life's challenges.
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It's about knowing you don't have to carry them by yourself.
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You were created to live with purpose.
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You were created to walk in peace. and you were created to flourish and yes,
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to travel a little lighter.
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So today, choose to release what has become too heavy.
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Choose to trust. Choose to rest.
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And choose to keep walking forward with confidence.
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So I want to thank you for joining me throughout this month's series in July,
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On Living Free, Walking Daily in Purpose and Peace,
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And my prayer is that these conversations have encouraged you to embrace The freedom,
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peace, and purpose that God desires for your life,
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so until next time dear listeners I want you to continue to live boldly in your
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power today and if it gets tough just breathe.
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You've still got the strength to rise. So I'll be back with a new series on
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Monday for the month of August, which we are in. I know.
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It was just one of those weeks, and I just couldn't get this out to you.
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But I said I had to finish it strong, even though it is Saturday and it is August the 1st.
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So I'll see you next time with a brand new series for the month of August.
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But remember, I want you to continue to live in your power and walk daily in purpose and peace.