Nickolene Lurch

Being the strong one can become heavy.

You’re the person people call when life falls apart. You know how to encourage, pray, show up, figure things out, and keep moving even when you’re tired. People see your strength so often that sometimes they forget strength has limits too.

And if you’re not careful, you can forget it yourself.

There comes a point when being strong for everyone else can leave you with very little room to admit that you need strength too.

Maybe you’ve become so accustomed to saying, “I’m fine,” that you don’t even stop to consider whether you actually are. You keep functioning. You handle your responsibilities. You answer the calls. You take care of everyone else. And because you’re still getting things done, you assume you must be okay.

But functioning and flourishing are not the same thing.

Even strong people get tired.

Even faithful people have moments when they don’t know what to do.

Even the people who encourage everyone else sometimes need someone to remind them that they don’t have to carry everything alone.

David understood this.

He was a warrior, a leader, and a king. He faced lions, bears, giants, enemies, betrayal, and battles most of us could never imagine. Yet David never pretended his strength came entirely from himself.

He wrote:

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.”
Psalm 28:7 (KJV)

David’s strength wasn’t found in pretending he never became weary. His strength was knowing where to go when he did.

That’s something many of us have to learn.

God never asked you to become everyone’s source.

You can love people without carrying them.

You can support people without solving everything for them.

You can be dependable without believing everything depends on you.

There is a difference between being strong and carrying weight God never assigned to you.

Sometimes we pick up burdens because we love people. Sometimes we pick them up because we feel responsible. And sometimes, if we’re truthful, we’ve been the strong one for so long that we don’t know who we are when we’re not holding everything together.

But surrender isn’t weakness.

There is strength in saying, “God, I can’t carry this by myself.”

There is strength in resting.

There is strength in asking for help.

There is strength in setting a boundary.

There is strength in admitting that something hurts.

And there is tremendous strength in trusting God enough to put down what was never yours to carry.

Jesus Himself invited the weary to come to Him. Not once they had figured everything out. Not after they had taken care of everyone else. He invited them while they were weary.

You are included in that invitation.

You don’t always have to be the encourager. Sometimes you need encouragement.

You don’t always have to have the answer. Sometimes you need to sit quietly with God and admit that you don’t know.

And you don’t have to prove your strength by suffering silently.

Maybe moving forward in faith this week doesn’t look like doing more.

Maybe it looks like finally putting something down.

Take It With You

Being strong doesn’t mean carrying everything. Real strength is knowing what belongs in your hands and what needs to be placed in God’s.

You are allowed to rest without feeling guilty. You are allowed to receive the same grace you so freely give to everyone else.

Prayer

Father, thank You for being my strength when I feel like I have none left. Show me the burdens I’ve been carrying that You never asked me to hold. Help me release the need to have everything together and teach me to depend on You. Give me wisdom to know when to help, when to rest, and when to simply place something in Your hands. Remind me that I don’t have to carry everyone and everything to be faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today’s Flow Note

You don’t have to prove how strong you are by carrying what God is asking you to put down.

Before You Go

If you’ve spent a long time being the strong one, give yourself permission to receive today.

Receive rest.

Receive support.

Receive grace.

And most importantly, receive the strength that doesn’t require you to manufacture your own.

You were never meant to carry the whole world on your shoulders. God is strong enough to hold what you cannot.

Keep flowing on purpose,

Nicki 💜