Holding It Together
by Shannon Garrison
When we give our lives to Christ, we gain the capacity to live an abundant life rooted in freedom. Through His death and resurrection, we are empowered to follow God wholeheartedly and fulfill His purposes and plans. As we co-labor with Christ, our lives bear much fruit and testify to God’s goodness and redeeming power.
Satan hates a confident Christian who is secure in their identity and relationship with God because he knows the impact of a believer who walks in confidence, freedom, and intimacy with Christ. For this reason, he seeks to incapacitate us whenever he can. One way he does this is by shifting our focus—from being empowered in Christ to being burdened by obligation and duty.
Just as he twisted man’s perception of God’s Word and character in the garden, he tries to steal our joy by burdening us with faulty mindsets and beliefs about God and our work. —“Did God really say?” When we take the bait, we become weighed down and disempowered by our striving, settling for less than His best.
We must recognize the enemy’s trap for what it is. Although we often begin with the best of intentions, we can easily slip back into a carnal mindset that seeks to earn what God has already freely given us through Christ. Instead of resting in His grace, we find ourselves striving for His approval rather than living from it.
Consider new believers in their pursuit of God. As they grow in their walk with Him, their desire to please God, serve Him wholeheartedly, and give Him their best also deepens. Yet their flesh often wars against the Spirit, leading them to believe they must accomplish God’s plan in their own strength rather than trusting God’s Spirit, who gives them the desire to do what pleases Him and empowers them to fulfill His purposes.
Instead of carrying out their God-given assignments with freedom and joy, they may fall into the trap of believing they must “work for God” to produce the results He desires, as though everything depends on them. All the while, assuming God is pleased with their self-effort rather than with their dependence on Him.
As a result, they place unnecessary pressure on themselves to make things happen. They assume responsibility for burdens that were never theirs to bear, attempting to shoulder the weight of everything in their world. Instead of embracing God’s assignment, they carry an unrealistic sense of ultimate responsibility for everything around them. Over time, if that pressure is not relieved, they begin to crumble under its weight.
This often plays out in very familiar ways:
If I don’t serve in this role at church, who will?
If I don’t take on the extra project at work, who will?
If I don’t fix everyone’s problems at home, who will?
If I say no to this ministry opportunity, God’s work won’t get done.
If I don’t take responsibility for others, they won’t succeed in life.
And so the cycle continues because the opportunities to meet needs are endless—one more task, one more opportunity, one more act of service, one more obligation, one more pressure.
There are many examples throughout Scripture of God’s people becoming overzealous, overworked, and frustrated, leading to burnout.
In Genesis, Laban operated out of fear and self-reliance, believing he was solely responsible for securing his family’s future rather than trusting God to provide. This mindset created pressure to stay two steps ahead and control outcomes, ultimately straining his relationships and leading to ongoing conflict within his household.
In 1 Kings, Elijah crashed out after confronting the prophets of Baal and Jezebel. In a moment of despair, he believed he was the only one remaining faithful to God and bearing the responsibility for winning the battle. This sense of isolation and self-imposed pressure led to a detour in the wilderness, where he withdrew in exhaustion and discouragement.
In Luke, Martha carried a strong sense of responsibility to ensure that everything on the checklist was completed. While her sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and focused on His presence, Martha became distracted by the preparations. Believing nothing would get done without her, she grew frustrated and anxious, ultimately missing the peace and joy of simply being with Jesus.
There is much to learn from these examples. When we take on what we were never meant to carry and believe that God is pleased with our self-effort, the result is imbalance, frustration, exhaustion, detours, and strained relationships—far from the abundant life Jesus offers us.
The truth is: everything does not depend on us. We can never carry the load that only Jesus can bear. He alone holds all things together and faithfully brings His plans and purposes to completion:
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
(Colossians 1:15–20, MSG)
This is good news of the Gospel!
Jesus died so we can experience the freedom and joy of serving God wholeheartedly. Through Him, the pressure lifts, and we can shift from obligation-driven service to identity-driven service. When we are secure in our sonship, we see ourselves as stewards of God’s assignments rather than bearers of God’s responsibility. We operate out of obedience and purpose rather than compulsion—no longer striving to prove our worth or trying to control outcomes. Instead, our service becomes a response of faith rather than fear.
This is what a life of partnership with God looks like:
When we live from our God-given identity, our lives are marked by purpose, rest, blessing, acceptance, freedom, privilege, joy, relationship, security, peace, and a balanced sense of responsibility.
But when we shift to obligation and duty, we feel a heavy burden. Our life is marked by striving, performance-based living, pressure, a works-driven mindset, frustration, insecurity, fear, anxiety, overcompensation, and an unrealistic sense of responsibility.
Two very different ways of living—one rooted in identity and trust in God, the other rooted in self-effort and pressure.
Living with Purpose and Carrying Out Your God-Given Assignments:
- Hebrews 10:16–18, 22 (NLT)
You are already accepted in Christ. You do not have to earn God’s approval. The Old Testament sacrificial system revealed humanity’s inability to reach God through effort—no matter how much was done, it was never enough to achieve perfection and approval. But through Jesus, your conscience is cleansed of guilt, freeing you to follow Him wholeheartedly.
- Hebrews 12:1–2 (GNT)
Lay aside what weighs you down. God invites you to release unnecessary burdens—whether performance-based approval, self-imposed obligation, or the pressure to hold everything together. Fix your eyes on Jesus and run with freedom.
- Matthew 11:28–30 (MSG)
Yoke yourself to Jesus to find balance. When you walk in step with Him, the load becomes light because He carries it with you. You are no longer striving in your own strength or trying to control outcomes. Instead, you follow His lead, and the pressure lifts.
- Proverbs 3:5–6 (MSG)
Trust God for direction. When you stop relying on your own understanding and submit your ways to Him, He brings clarity and focus—helping you discern what He has truly called you to do and what He has not.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7–8 (GNT)
Follow God’s leading with freedom and joy. You have a limited capacity. Therefore, He does not call you to carry everything. Instead, He places His desires within you to do what He asks of you and gives you permission to release what is not from Him. This enables you to give and serve willingly, producing joy rather than pressure.
- Philippians 2:13 (AMP)
Walk in confidence in God’s empowering grace. As you rest in Christ’s finished work, God Himself works in you—giving you both the desire and the ability to fulfill His purposes without striving or self-effort.
- 1 Corinthians 9:24–26 (NLT)
Run your race with focus and freedom. As you surrender to God’s direction and release unnecessary burdens, you can run with endurance and clarity—fully stepping into His purposes and plans.
Friend, God desires for you a life of freedom and abundance as you co-labor with Him. Refuse to let the enemy steal the joy of serving God and blessing others. Rest in the truth that Christ is carrying the load so you can run your race wholeheartedly and unhindered. He is holding your life together and empowering you to do what pleases Him.
His yoke is easy. His burden is light. Ours is not.
So true!