01/10/2026
“BECOMING HER” daily devotion
Maybe You Don't Have to Hold It All Together
Scripture:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5
Can we talk about control for a minute?
Because I like control.
There. I said it.
I like knowing what's happening.
I like knowing what's going to happen.
I like knowing what people are thinking, what they're feeling, what they're planning and preferably what they're going to do next.
And if I could get a detailed schedule from God explaining exactly how the next five years are going to go, that would be great too.
But apparently that's not how this works.
The truth is, sometimes what we call “being prepared” is really just fear wearing a cute outfit.
We overthink.
We replay conversations.
We try to read people's minds.
We create scenarios that haven't even happened yet.
We worry about our children.
Our relationships.
Money.
Our health.
Our future.
And before we know it, we're carrying ten problems when only one of them is actually happening.
I've done this more times than I'd like to admit.
Something can be completely fine, and my brain will whisper:
Yeah...but what if it isn't?
What if something changes?
What if I get hurt?
What if this doesn't work out?
What if I make the wrong decision?
What if the thing I'm praying for never happens?
And here's what I'm learning.
Sometimes my desire to control everything isn't because I think I'm so capable.
Sometimes it's because I'm scared.
Control makes us feel safe.
If I can figure everything out, maybe nothing can surprise me.
If I can prepare for every possibility, maybe I won't get hurt.
If I can hold everything tightly enough, maybe I won't lose anything.
But God keeps asking us to do something that feels terrifying when we've spent our lives trying to protect ourselves.
Trust Me.
Not understand everything.
Not predict everything.
Not control everybody.
Trust Me.
And that's hard.
Especially when you've lived through something that taught you that things can change quickly.
Maybe somebody disappointed you.
Maybe a relationship ended that you thought would last forever.
Maybe you've experienced betrayal.
Maybe life simply didn't turn out the way you thought it would.
So now, even when life is good, part of you stays ready.
Ready for the bad news.
Ready for the disappointment.
Ready for the other shoe to drop.
And sometimes we call that wisdom.
But sometimes it's fear.
God isn't asking you to pretend bad things never happen.
He's asking you to stop living tomorrow's pain before tomorrow even gets here.
Read that again.
You don't have to experience heartbreak that hasn't happened.
You don't have to solve problems that don't exist yet.
You don't have to know how every chapter ends before you enjoy the page you're on.
And you don't have to hold your entire life together.
God never asked you to.
Maybe surrender isn't saying, “God, I know everything will happen exactly the way I want.”
Maybe surrender sounds more like:
“God, I don't know what's going to happen.
But I know You will be there.”
That's different.
Because our confidence isn't in the outcome anymore.
It's in Him.
And that's where peace starts.
Not when we finally have control.
When we finally realize we never needed it.
Today's Truth:
I don't have to know what happens next to trust the One who will be there when it does.
Heart Check:
What are you trying hardest to control right now?
Underneath that need for control, what are you actually afraid of?
Is there something good happening in your life that you're having trouble enjoying because you're already afraid of losing it?
Let's Pray
God,
You know how tightly I hold onto things when I'm scared.
You know the conversations I replay, the situations I overthink and the future I try to figure out before it gets here.
I'm tired.
I don't want fear to steal the good things You've given me today because I'm worried about what could happen tomorrow.
Teach me to trust You.
Not because You promise that life will always happen the way I want it to, but because You promise I will never have to walk through it without You.
Show me what I'm holding too tightly.
And give me the courage to open my hands.
Today, I choose to trust You with what I cannot control.
Amen.
Today I Will:
Write down one thing you're trying to control.
Then underneath it write:
“God, this belongs to You. I am going to live today instead of trying to control tomorrow.”
And when your mind tries to pick it back up later—and it probably will—give it back again.
Surrender isn't always a one-time moment.
Sometimes it's something we practice over and over until our heart finally learns what our mouth has been saying:
I trust You, God.
