The Day I Stopped Carrying What Was Never Mine
- Cheryl A.S. Hurley
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There comes a moment when you realize you’re tired in a way rest can’t fix. Not because you’re doing too much but because you’ve been carrying too much. Expectations, responsibilities, and emotional weight can quietly accumulate over time, often without us noticing. For a long while, I believed strength meant being dependable, available, and capable and showing up fully while assuming I could simply carry myself along the way. I didn’t recognize when my yes became automatic or when my own needs slowly drifted to the background. The day I stopped carrying what was never mine wasn’t loud or dramatic, it was intentional. And in that quiet awareness, everything began to shift.
When “Yes” Becomes a Cage
There was a season when I didn’t even recognize how bound I had become. I was doing good things...meaningful things. But good can quietly become heavy when it’s no longer aligned. I found myself overextended, overcommitted, and overthinking. Saying yes because I could, not because I should. Showing up strong while feeling stretched thin. And while I wasn’t bitter, I was tired in a way that rest alone couldn’t fix.
What I didn’t realize then was that I wasn’t just tired. I was bound. Bound by expectations. Bound by old rhythms. Bound by the unspoken belief that pulling back meant letting someone down. But God has a way of interrupting our patterns with clarity.
A December Pause That Changed Everything
In December 2025, as I’ve grown to do each year, I intentionally quieted myself and asked God a familiar yet sacred question: “Lord, what is Your word for me for the year ahead?” I wasn’t searching for something trendy or clever. I was listening for something true. And without hesitation, the response came:
UNBOUND.
Not whispered. Not vague. Clear. UNBOUND...from pressure that no longer fits.UNBOUND...from the need to carry what was never mine to hold.UNBOUND...from the habit of being accessible at the expense of being aligned. That one word settled my spirit in a way I didn’t even know I needed. It didn’t feel like loss. It felt like release.
Freedom Is Not Absence—It’s Alignment
Being unbound doesn’t mean walking away from purpose. It means walking more fully into it. It's choosing presence over performance. It's honoring limits without guilt. It's recognizing that your worth is not measured by how much you do for others but by who you are becoming.
When we live unbound, we stop proving and start living. We stop shrinking to fit expectations and start expanding into our calling. We give ourselves permission to evolve, to choose differently, to rest without apology. And here’s the beautiful truth: when you are unbound, your joy returns. Your creativity awakens and your peace deepens.
An Invitation to Loosen What No Longer Serves You
So if I may, I ask you gently, my sister and honestly:
"What are you carrying that God never asked you to hold? Where have you tied yourself to roles, routines, or relationships that require you to disappear? What would freedom look like if you gave yourself permission to live unbound?"
This isn’t about doing less for the sake of doing less. It’s about living true with intention, clarity, and joy.
Soul Thread Reflection
Now, when I feel the familiar pull to do more, hold more, or be more than what is required of me, I pause. I breathe. I take a quiet inventory of myself, giving attention to my emotions, my temperament, my thoughts, and my actions. When they reflect peace, I know I am moving in alignment and I continue forward with confidence. But when they feel scattered or unsettled, I’ve learned to pay attention. That unrest is often an indicator that I may be carrying more than I was meant to hold. I let that awareness sit with me, without judgment, and then I take the intentional action necessary for my well-being. Freedom didn’t arrive all at once. It began with awareness and the willingness to release what was never mine to carry. Living unbound hasn’t diminished my capacity to love or serve; it has deepened my clarity and restored my joy. And perhaps that is the quiet gift of freedom...discovering that what we release makes room for who we are becoming. You Matter and your freedom matters too.
Affirmation:
I give myself permission to live unbound, free to breathe, to choose, and to become all that God has called me to be.
With Grace and Purpose,
Cheryl A.S. Hurley
"Living unapologetically in purpose."
P.S. We’re Live!
The YOU Matter Podcast is officially live on Spotify. This monthly podcast is an extension of the Soul Threads journey offering intentional conversations, soul-centered reflections, and gentle reminders to pause, refocus, and realign.
New episodes will drop monthly.
Follow on Spotify to stay connected.
Click the image to listen
Or listen here:
(Additional listening platforms coming
Comments