October 17
Owning
Up
"Each person should carry their own load."
Galatians 6:5 (NIrV)
Yasmine slammed the car door shut, her heart pounding as she scrolled through the email again. Termination Notice. The words burned into her mind like a brand. She had been fired.
Her hands trembled with anger as she dialed her best friend, Layla. “Can you believe this? They let me go! Just like that!”
Layla hesitated. “What happened?”
Yasmine huffed. “It wasn’t my fault! My manager, David, has had it out for me from the start. Always nitpicking, always expecting more. And the clients? Impossible to please! And let’s not forget the economy—it’s terrible! I mean, how is anyone supposed to thrive in these conditions?”
Layla was quiet for a moment before saying softly, “Yasmine… is there any part of this that you think might be on you?”
Yasmine felt her face grimace. “Excuse me?”
“I mean,” Layla continued carefully, “do you think maybe… you could have done something differently?”
Yasmine opened her mouth to fire back, but no words came out. Instead, a wave of memories crashed over her—showing up late, missing deadlines, snapping at coworkers, blaming everyone when projects fell apart. She had always justified it, always found a reason why it wasn’t her fault. But now… she couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t know how to fix this,” she whispered.
Layla’s voice softened. “Maybe start by asking God for help.”
Yasmine dismissed this and continued to grumble about how life was so unfair.
That night, however, Yasmine sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. For the first time in a long time, she prayed—really prayed. “Lord, I don’t want to keep making excuses. Help me see where I’ve been wrong, and give me the strength to change.”
A peace settled over her. The road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but for the first time, she was ready to take responsibility for her actions.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I have spent too much time blaming others for my struggles.
Help me to see where I need to change.
Give me the courage to take responsibility for my actions and the wisdom to learn from my mistakes.
Teach me to lean on You as I grow into the person You have called me to be.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
