EPISODE 10: The Power of Choice, The Reality of Burnout + Faith in Godʼs Goodness

Hey hey, hey happy Thursday, friends! 

I’m so glad you’re here — seriously, getting to hang out and dive into God’s Word with you each week? Total highlight of my life. Like, if loving Scripture time is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

Anyway, welcome back to another fire episode — and trust me, today’s gonna hit different. Make sure those earbuds are in and your heart is open, because we’re going deep in the best kind of way, sis! 

Alright, on Tuesday I dropped a little teaser — a question from our girl Erica (hey girl) that got all of us thinking. She asked:

“Did Jesus actually have a choice to die on the cross? Or was it just what He was ‘supposed’ to do?”

Whew. That’s a BIG one, right? So today, we’re breaking it down — the power of Jesus’ choice, what it means that He didn’t have to die for us… but wanted to. And spoiler alert: that kind of love? It changes everything.

Let’s jump in.

Ok, let me tell you a story.

When my girls were toddlers, we entered what I lovingly call the tantrum era. The “terrible twos” and “threenager” phase?

Yeah… it was real.

One moment they’re cuddling you with sticky fingers and the next they’re on the floor in full-blown meltdown mode because you cut their sandwich the wrong way.

It was like they had discovered this new superpower: choice. And it didn’t matter that, said no — they were starting to figure out that they could choose for themselves. Cue the drama.

One day, totally exhausted and honestly ready to cry myself, I called my mom. And she gave me the simplest, most life-changing advice: “Kaase, give her choices.”

Wait… what?

She explained: “Instead of telling her what to do, offer her options. Make her feel like she has a say.”

So I tried it.

“Hey Raleigh, blue shirt or black shirt?”

“Sandals or sneakers?”

“Eggs or toast?”

And you guys — it worked. Giving her the power to choose actually made her feel safe. In control. Valued.

Now… Let’s Take That and Flip the Script!

What if I told you that Jesus had choices too?

Like, actual choices.

We sometimes think Jesus going to the cross was just... fate. Like, “Well, He had to.” But that’s not the full story.

In Matthew 26:53, Jesus flat out says He could’ve called down twelve legions of angels — that’s over 70,000 angel warriors — to rescue Him.

He had the power. He had the choice. And He stayed.

Let that hit you: Jesus had a choice.

He had the power to stop the pain, skip the suffering, and avoid the cross entirely. But He didn’t.

He chose the cross.He chose the pain.He chose the nails. And…He chose you.

Guys, I donʼt want you to miss this. Like, literally, your entire life should be changed by this tiny little concept. He had the full power to choose. 

Now, imagine this with me.

You're at school and someone blames you for something you didn’t do. You know you could defend yourself. You could speak up, set the record straight, walk away with your hands clean.

But instead, you stay quiet… and take the fall for someone else.

Sounds unfair, right? Who would choose that?

But that’s kind of what Jesus did.Actually — it’s exactly what He did.

See, sometimes we hear the story of Jesus going to the cross and it feels like... it was just supposed to happen. Like it was automatic. I mean, He’s Jesus, right? It’s kind of His thing?

In Philippians 2:8, it says:

“He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

It wasn’t obligation.

It wasn’t force.

It was love.

Obedient love — love so deep that He’d rather suffer and die than live without you.

This wasn’t just a one-time, last-minute decision. It was intentional, personal, and eternal.

And now here’s where it gets personal.

If Jesus had all the power to walk away — and He didn’t — what should our response be?

• If He chose us with full freedom, shouldn’t that change everything about how we live?

• He said yes to the cross so we could say yes to new life.

  
  

• He stayed so we wouldn’t have to live separated from God.

• He was pierced so we could be healed.

  
  

He gave up everything so we could gain everything.

And now, we don’t follow Jesus because we have to…We follow Him because we are completely undone by the fact that He wanted us. That He chose us. That He loved us first.

This is where it becomes your story. You don’t have to earn His love — you already have it.

But, you get to respond.

• Because of Jesus’ yes…

• You can say yes to forgiveness.

• You can say yes to living boldly.

  
  

You can say yes to choosing Him back — every day, in every moment.

Alright, so before we dig into our next question, letʼs wrap up this concept by tracking back to the garden, the night before Jesus went to the cross. 

Imagine it: late at night, Jesus is in a garden. It’s quiet, dark. His friends are asleep. And He’s praying — hard. Luke 22:44 says He was in such agony that He started sweating drops of blood. (Yeah, that’s a real thing — it happens under extreme stress.)

And then Jesus prays something that completely wrecks me every time:

“Father, not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:42

Can you feel the weight of that? He’s saying: This is going to hurt. I don’t want to do it… but I choose obedience. I choose love. I choose them. He chose you.

Hebrews 12:2 gives us the why:

“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…”

Girl. YOU were the joy.

He looked through time, saw your face, your smile, your story, your heart… and with all the love in the universe said, “Yes. She’s worth it.”

So… Does That Change Anything?

Here’s the thing: Jesus didn’t go to the cross because He had to. He went because He wanted to.

He wanted to rescue you. To carry your shame. To take your sin. To rewrite your story.

Not reluctantly. Not halfway.

But with a million YES’s.

So Sis, What Will You Do With That Choice?

Just like my daughter felt peace when she was allowed to choose — you and I have a choice too. Jesus isn’t forcing us to follow Him. He’s inviting us.

He said YES to you.

Now you get to say yes to Him.

Not because you have to. But because you get to.

Something to Think About...

• What does it mean to you that Jesus chose to die for you?

• What parts of your life can be your “yes” back to Him?

What would change if you really believed you were chosen?

So girl, next time you feel like your choices don’t matter… remember the One who had all the choices — and still picked the path of pain, just to bring you home.

You are deeply, wildly, powerfully chosen. Now go live like it!

OK, question number two!

On Monday, Jessie from Vermont sent in a question asking about complacency. Which is actually a really big word. So I want to give you a very simple definition for the word complacency but first her question:

Specifically she asked: “What do I do when I have just lost my desire to spend time with the Lord? Like, nothing in the Bible makes sense, and I am feeling really burnt out.” 

Ok, so, complacency.

A simple definition would be: is when you're so comfortable with how things are that you stop trying to grow, improve, or notice problems — even when you really should.

It’s like being stuck in “meh” mode — not because things are perfect, but because you’ve settled, stopped caring, or just don’t want to deal with change.

Now, first, I just want to say…this question Jessie - displays an incredible level of maturity - that you’re even willing to ask it instead of pretending everything is JUST fine.

So legit, let’s really celebrate that openness for one quick minute. You are not the only one who feels this way. 

Now, full disclosure girls.

Spiritual burnout is a thing.

Like a for real thing. And, this is SUPER normal and we will ALL go through seasons of apathy towards the Lord.

What do I mean by apathy?

Apathy is just a fancy way of saying “I donʼt care about or want to prioritize taking time with Jesus.” And I feel you, sis. I really do.

Even grown-ups who’ve been walking with Jesus for decades hit moments where the Bible feels confusing, prayer feels empty, and God feels kinda far away.

But here’s the beautiful truth: God isn’t scared of your burnout. He’s not disappointed. He’s actually leaning in even closer.

Let’s look at what Scripture says:

Psalm 42:11 says,"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

This was written by someone who felt spiritually dry and disconnected—just like you. 

And instead of pretending everything was fine, they talked to their own soul, reminding themselves, “I will praise Him again.” 

That “again” means they’d lost the desire, too.

You’re not alone.

Galatians 6:9 says,"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

It’s okay to feel tired.

The Bible literally says you will feel weary sometimes. But don't give up. It doesn’t say you have to be perfect—just don’t quit showing up.

Here are a few things to do when your heart feels like it's gone quiet:

1. Be honest with God—even about not feeling close to Him.

Prayer doesn’t have to be fancy. Just say, “God, I’m not feeling it right now. I want to want You, but I don’t. Help me.”

Guess what?

That’s still prayer. That’s still relationship. And He loves when we’re real with Him.

2. Try reading smaller, not harder.

If a whole chapter feels overwhelming, try just one verse a day. Like Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.”

Just sit with that.

What does it mean that God is your Shepherd?

What does it mean that you have all you need—even now?

3. Worship, even if your heart isn’t all there.

Sometimes you don’t feel your way into worship—you worship your way back into feeling. Turn on a worship song you love and let it play while you get ready or do homework. God can meet you right in the ordinary.

4. Talk to someone about it.

Like you’re doing right now. Don’t keep the struggle hidden. Sometimes the enemy wants us to feel alone in our discouragement, but bringing it into the light—like you just did—kills that lie.

Encouragement to Leave You With: 

Sweet girl, you’re not a “bad Christian” because you feel burned out.

That’s a lie from the enemy.

You’re a girl who is growing, and part of growth is walking through hard, dry, confusing seasons.

But here’s what’s amazing: God doesn’t leave you there.

He’s not waiting for you to “get it together.”

He’s already right next to you, even in the burnout.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

That means even when you feel crushed, tired, or meh—He’s close.

So take a deep breath, give yourself grace, and remember this:

You’re still growing, even if you can’t feel it. The Word is still true, even if it doesn’t make sense yet.

God is still working, even in the silence.

Keep showing up—little by little. He’s not going anywhere.

Alright babes, we’ve made it to our last question of the day — and it is such a good one to wrap up with — and it seriously made me think.

It came from our girl Monica in Nevada (hey girl!), who’s been reading through the Gospels and noticed something super interesting.

She said, “Why does Jesus always ask about someone’s faith before He heals them?” Like, He’ll say, “Do you believe I can do this?” — and then BAM, miracle!

Wow!

Such a stellar takeaway girl and hereʼs the big truth Monica’s starting to see:

Faith isn’t about believing God will show up in a certain way.

It’s about trusting that God is good, no matter how He shows up.

Okay, let’s chat for a sec, girl.

So you know how sometimes we think, “If I pray for something super hard, God will totally answer exactly how I want, right?”

Like, we dream up the perfect outcome — acing that test, getting exactly what we asked for, or having everything go the way we imagined.

But... what if I told you that’s not actually what faith is about? Yep, cue the mic drop!

See, real faith isn’t about praying and then crossing your fingers hoping for a specific outcome. That’s like saying, “God, I trust You — but only if You do what I want." And spoiler alert — that’s not how it works.

Here’s the thing: Faith is about trusting who God is, not just trusting that He’ll show up exactly how we expect. 

Faith isnʼt: “God will rescue me exactly how I want.”Faith is, “I believe God is good, no matter what.”

So… letʼs turn to some scripture and look at a few examples from the Bible to really drive home our point!

First up — the disciples with the storm. 

Remember when they were on a boat, and this huge storm came out of nowhere? They were freaking out, thinking they were gonna die. Then boom — here comes Jesus, walking on water like it's no big deal (side note: that’s like the ultimate flex).

And what does Jesus say? “Take courage, it is I. Don’t be afraid.” He didn’t promise He’d calm the storm right away — He just asked them to trust Him in the middle of it.

It wasn’t about the storm going away immediately. It was about trusting Jesus, no matter what.

Next, let’s talk about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for a sec. 

These three guys were told to worship a king instead of God, and they were like, “Uh, nope. We’re only worshiping God.” So, they got tossed into a fiery furnace. Yikes.

But here’s the kicker: Before they were thrown in, they told the king, “Our God can save us, but even if He doesn’t, we still won’t worship you.”

Whoa!!

They didn’t know how things would turn out — but they still trusted that God was good, no matter what happened.

Third, Faith = Not a Vending Machine

In John 6:26–29 Jesus calls out a crowd who was basically following Him just because He had free food (loaves and fishes, anyone?).

He says, “Y’all aren’t here because you believe — you’re here because you got snacks.”

Then He says:

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”

He’s saying — faith isn’t about what I give you. It’s about believing in Me.

Fourth and finally, Faith = Relationship, Not Results

Hebrews 11:1 says:

“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

It’s not a “get what you want” wish list, right?It’s saying, “God, I don’t see it yet… but I still trust You.”

So here’s where we land, babe.

You don’t have to have faith in a specific outcome. Just have faith in God’s goodness. When you do that, your faith will become way stronger because it’s not tied to what you think should happen — it’s tied to the unshakeable truth that God is good, He loves you, and He wants the best for you.

Now, let’s think about how this plays out in your life:

What would it look like if, instead of praying for a specific outcome, you just said, “God, I trust that You’re good — no matter what happens!”

Maybe your test doesn’t go how you expected — but you trust that God’s got your back, and that He’s using that moment to shape you and grow you. Maybe your friendship goes through a rough patch — but you trust that God is still good, and He’s with you every step of the way.

Real faith is knowing that God’s love is enough, no matter what. And that, my friend, is where the real adventure begins.

So, talk to me. How does that feel? Do you think you could shift your focus from the outcome to the One who holds all your answers? Tell me, girl — I’m dying to know your thoughts.

Alright bestie, take a deep breath — you made it!

Today we talked about the power of choice, the realness of burnout, and what it means to have faith in God’s goodness, even when life feels totally upside down. 

Jesus chose you. 

You’re not forgotten, not overlooked — you are chosen and wildly loved.

And when your faith isn’t in the outcome, but in who He is?

That’s when it gets real. 

So go live bold this week, sis — and don’t forget to join me next time, because we’re diving into a juicy new question that’s gonna stir your heart in all the best ways.

Can’t wait to hang with you again. Until then, stay cute, stay rooted, and keep choosing Jesus.