For the longest time, I would say to myself, “If anything is gonna get done, I’ve gotta do it myself.”

At first, it wasn’t a bad thing. When I was younger, working early mornings and dragging myself out of bed at 5 AM, that phrase was a pep talk. It was how I motivated myself to work hard, to show up, to not quit when it was uncomfortable. In those early years, it felt like discipline.

But over time, that same statement slowly changed. What started as motivation turned into cynicism. I began to believe it. Whether it was coworkers, co-leaders, or people close to me, I carried the quiet assumption that if something really mattered, I was on my own. I didn’t just work hard, I carried everything. And eventually, that mindset nearly broke me. I came dangerously close to burning myself out, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

That’s why Matthew 5:3 still convicts me deeply today:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus isn’t blessing laziness or passivity. He’s blessing those who know they are spiritually bankrupt apart from God. To be poor in spirit is to abandon the illusion of self-sufficiency. It is to stop believing that strength, effectiveness, or worth comes from our ability to carry everything ourselves. The kingdom of heaven does not belong to the spiritually impressive, the hyper-competent, or the self-reliant. It belongs to those who know they need mercy, grace, and God’s sustaining power at every level of life.

I’m slowly learning this. Slowly, but surely. I’m learning to be poor in spirit. I try to live with that reminder as often as I can, because I truly do want to inherit the kingdom. And that means resisting pride in every form. Spiritual pride. Pride in work ethic. Pride in position. Pride in achievements. Pride in finances. Pride in gifting. Pride that whispers, “I’ve got this,” when what God is inviting us to say is, “Lord, I need You.”

The kingdom doesn’t advance through people who carry everything. It advances through people who know they can’t.