For much of my leadership career, being capable became something of a trap.
If there was a problem, I could solve it.
If something needed to be done, I could do it.
If someone dropped the ball, I could pick it up.
And for a long time, I thought that was what strong leadership looked like.
Be dependable.
Be available.
Handle it.
But eventually I had to learn something that changed the way I lead:
Just because I can carry something doesn’t mean it is mine to carry.
That can be a difficult lesson for capable women.
When you know how to get things done, people naturally begin bringing things to you.
Sometimes they ask.
Sometimes they don’t have to.
You notice what needs doing, step in, and take care of it before anyone else even realizes there is a problem.
Over time, that can become a pattern.
You solve problems other people need to learn how to solve.
You make decisions someone else is capable of making.
You carry emotional responsibility for how everyone around you feels.
You say yes because you know you can make it work.
And eventually, all those things you are capable of carrying begin competing with the things you are actually called to steward.
I saw this in my own leadership.
There were seasons when I believed being indispensable was evidence that I was doing a good job.
But if everything required me, I wasn’t developing other people.
If every decision came through me, I wasn’t empowering others to lead.
And if I continually depleted myself by keeping everything together, the way I was leading wasn’t sustainable.
Capability and calling are not the same thing.
That truth reaches beyond our professional lives too.
We can carry family expectations.
Church responsibilities.
Other people’s problems.
Commitments we made years ago.
Roles we have outgrown.
Even guilt over what might happen if we finally put something down.
But faithful stewardship requires discernment.
Not simply:
Can I do this?
But:
Is this mine to carry in this season?
There is a difference.
Jesus Himself did not respond to every demand placed before Him. He withdrew. He rested. He moved according to His Father’s will rather than the urgency of every voice around Him.
That challenges me.
Because sometimes saying no is not a failure to serve.
Sometimes it is an act of obedience.
Maybe the question for us this week is:
What am I carrying because God entrusted it to me—and what am I carrying simply because I am capable of handling it?
Those two lists may not be the same.
And perhaps faithful leadership begins with being willing to untangle them.
Lead well.
Live faithfully.
Stay steadfast.