What We Were Never Asked to Carry

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Pastor Lee opened the class with a question rather than a statement: what are we carrying that God never asked us to carry? Four answers followed.

Worry that belongs to Him

1 Peter 5:7 — casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. The class named the honest problem with this verse: people pray about the thing and then pick it straight back up. Three reasons were offered — thin faith, wanting to stay in control, and being stuck on what has already happened.

The image used was the altar. People do lay the burden down there. Then they walk back to the pew still turning it over.

Guilt God has already dealt with

1 John 1:9 — if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us. Carrying guilt for something already forgiven is not humility; it is refusing the pardon. The class added the harder half: confess to God, and where you can, to the person you hurt. Then live differently going forward instead of relitigating the past.

Unforgiveness

Ephesians 4:31–32 — let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you. The point that landed hardest: unforgiveness does its damage to the person holding it, not to the person it is aimed at. The one who wronged you has very likely moved on.

Tomorrow

Matthew 6:34 — take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. You have today’s strength for today’s trouble. Tomorrow’s has not been issued yet because you do not need it yet.

The closing prayer asked for two things in the right order: strength for today, and faith for tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 · Matthew 11:28–30, 1 Peter 5:7, 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 4:31–32, Matthew 6:34