The Weight of What We Think We Own - Encouragement for Today - May 14, 2026

Meredith Brock May 14, 2026

The Weight of What We Think We Own
MEREDITH BROCK

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)

I’ll never forget my first car: a burgundy, 1990-something Ford Tempo with an air conditioner that blew warm air, a radio that sputtered nothing but static, and a left wheel that made a thumping sound every time I turned.

But I didn’t care about any of those flaws. That burgundy beauty was my ticket to freedom. I had spent my entire junior year and the summer before my senior year saving up to buy it, and I loved it.

That is, until I realized owning it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

I had pictured summer nights with the windows down, wind in my hair, friends in the back seat, driving to the strip mall for ice cream and meeting cute boys. I pictured driving to college and parking outside my dorm.

In real life, I worried about how I was going to pay for gas and insurance. I became concerned about what that mysterious thumping sound actually meant. In fact, I worried so much I started finding reasons not to drive the car anywhere.

Ownership is funny that way. It often promises freedom and solutions to our problems, but instead it delivers the weight of responsibility and worry. The thing I thought would give me freedom felt like a burden I wasn’t equipped to carry.

Eventually my car broke down, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. I had to pay for a tow truck and decide whether to take the car to a repair shop or junkyard. Standing there crippled with worry and fear, I wondered if I would ever drive onto a college campus now that my car was undrivable.

What I didn’t understand at 17, and still have to remind myself as an adult, is … I don’t actually own as much as I think I do.

Over the years, I’ve wrestled with other ownership decision-making moments:

Should we buy the house?
Take the job?
Hand that responsibility off to someone else?

Each decision seemed to carry new responsibility I wasn’t sure I wanted. But when I read 1 Chronicles 29:14, I began to see ownership differently. David was praying for the Israelites as they prepared to build the temple for God:

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

David understood something easy for us to forget: Everything we hold — our possessions, opportunities, and even the paths our lives take — ultimately comes from God.

When we see our lives as ours alone to manage, the weight can feel crushing. But when we see, as David did, that all things come from God, we move from fear to freedom. Instead of gripping everything tightly, we become free to trust.

Sometimes I wish I could talk to my 17-year-old self standing on the side of the road next to that Ford Tempo and say, “It’s OK. You bought the car, but God bought your life with His own Son’s sacrifice. He already has this figured out.”

If I had understood then, I don’t think I would have been so riddled with fear. I might have seen that moment as a hiccup rather than a derailment.

That’s why the mission of Proverbs 31 Ministries matters so much to me. We want to walk beside you in moments just like these. When fear, confusion, and overwhelm threaten to shape your decisions, we want to place the unchanging Truth of God’s Word in your hands so you can take your next step without fear.

When we remember that everything comes from Him — and ultimately belongs to Him — we can release the exhausting pressure of figuring it out on our own.

Lord, remind us everything we have comes from You, so nothing we carry is ours alone to bear. Help us to release our grip on what we think we own and to trust You with every detail of our lives. Give us peace in the unknown, and free us from fear as we place all we have back into Your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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You’ve been in moments where you needed clarity. Trying to discern what was true and what to do next. And maybe someone or something helped guide you back to God’s Word. That’s what you help extend to someone else. Because of you, she doesn’t have to navigate that moment alone — she’s met with truth that steadies her and shapes her next step. As we continue toward our $760,000 midyear goal, a group of generous donors has already given $213,000, and you’re invited to be part of what carries this forward. Give now and help place Truth right within her reach.

ENGAGE

Connect with today’s devotion writer, Meredith Brock, on Instagram!

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it …” (NIV).

James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights …” (NIV).

What is something in your life you’ve been holding tightly as “yours,” and how might your perspective change if you fully trusted God with it?

Where is fear or responsibility feeling heavy right now, and what would it look like to surrender that burden back to God and walk in His freedom? Share with us in the comments!

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/pcess609

Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org