Fresh Start – Day 3: What Are You Carrying Into the New Year?
Learning to Lay Down What Weighs You Down
Welcome to Day 3 of Fresh Start: A Devotional Journey for the New Year. Today’s devotion invites you to pause and honestly consider what you may be carrying that God never asked you to bring into this new season.
Scripture
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)
Biblical Context
The writer of Hebrews paints a powerful picture of the Christian life as a race. Not a sprint, but a long-distance journey that requires endurance, focus, and freedom of movement.
In ancient races, runners would remove anything unnecessary before stepping onto the track. Extra weight—no matter how small—would slow them down and drain their strength over time.
The same is true spiritually.
The passage doesn’t only mention sin; it also speaks of weights—things that aren’t always sinful but still hinder our growth, joy, and endurance. These are the burdens, mindsets, emotions, and expectations that cling to us quietly, slowing our pace without us realizing it.
God never intended for you to run your race weighed down by what belongs to yesterday.
Faith Principle
You cannot run freely while carrying what God has already invited you to lay down.
Many women enter a new year tired—not because of what lies ahead, but because of what they’re still holding from behind.
Weights can look like:
unresolved hurt
guilt or shame
unmet expectations
people-pleasing
fear of failure
comparison
emotional responsibility for things beyond your control
These aren’t assignments from God.
They are burdens He is inviting you to release.
What you carry shapes how you move.
What you release creates space for renewal.
Application
As you step into this new season, consider these gentle steps:
1. Identify the weight.
Ask the Lord to reveal what has been draining your energy or stealing your peace.
2. Lay it down intentionally.
Release it in prayer—not with guilt, but with trust.
3. Replace the weight with truth.
God never leaves empty space. He fills what you surrender with peace, clarity, and strength.
Laying something down is not weakness.
It is wisdom.
Prayer
Lord, show me what I’ve been carrying that You never asked me to hold. Give me the courage to release every weight that slows my walk with You. I place these burdens at Your feet and trust You to carry what I cannot. Fill me with Your peace as I move forward lighter and freer. Amen.
Journaling Prompt
What weight am I still carrying that God is asking me to lay down as I move into this new season?
Continue the Journey
This devotional is part of Fresh Start: A Devotional Journey for the New Year.
Come back tomorrow for Day 4 — Rooted, Not Rushed: Staying Grounded When Life Speeds Up.
If this devotion encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who may need permission to lay a few things down.