Surrender What You’re Tolerating: How to Let Go and Step Into Financial Fulfillment

As the year comes to a close, many of us start reflecting on where we are and what we want to change before the new year begins. We set goals, make resolutions, and dream about what’s next, but before new growth can happen, something has to be released.

In this episode of Wealth & Wisdom Together, we’re diving into Milestone 1 of the Financial Fulfillment Journey: Evaluating Where You Are, which begins with surrendering.

The Power of Pruning: Letting God Reveal What You Need to Surrender

In a recent podcast episode, Weslia shared one of her favorite analogies: tending to her rose garden. 

Each season, she prunes her rose bushes and removes the dead or diseased parts of the plant to make room for new growth. This process also involves pulling weeds from the roots so they don’t choke the life out of the healthy blooms.

Pruning may look painful, but it’s purposeful. It embodies what it means to surrender and it creates space for stronger, fuller, and more vibrant growth.

Just like roses, our lives and finances need pruning too. Every toleration represents a “weed” competing for your energy and focus, pulling from the nutrients that could be feeding your growth.

But when we allow God to prune what’s no longer fruitful like beliefs, habits, or stressors that drain our peace, we make space for clarity and purpose.

Take a moment to ask God: “What are the weeds in my life that are keeping me from bearing fruit?”

As John 15:1-4 reminds us: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He prunes so that it will bear more fruit.”

What Are You Tolerating Right Now?

So…what are you tolerating in your life right now?

Tolerations are the things we “put up with” without realizing how much they’re holding us back. They can be small, like cluttered spaces or disorganization, or deeply internal, like fear, guilt, or limiting beliefs about money.

A few examples of what tolerations might look like include, inconsistent savings and lingering debt, decision fatigue and second-guessing your choices, feeling guilty when you spend and ashamed when you look away, fragmented financial tools with no cohesive plan or when faith and finances feel disconnected.

Here are 4 easy steps you can take today, to surrender tolerations:

Step 1: Name It

Before planning for next year, pause and acknowledge what’s been weighing on you. Write down every toleration, big or small, financial or emotional, that has been draining your energy or joy.

Step 2: Notice the Pattern

Once you’ve listed your tolerations, look for themes.What do they have in common?Are they rooted in fear? Perfectionism? Guilt? What beliefs or stories are you holding that allow these tolerations to persist?

Be honest with yourself. This is not about shame, it’s about awareness. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

Step 3: Reframe the Story

Ask yourself, “What am I choosing to believe that allows me to accept this toleration?”

For example:

• If you’re tolerating financial disorganization, you might believe, “I’m just not good with money.”

• If you’re tolerating a lack of boundaries, you might believe, “Saying no makes me selfish.”

Now, reframe it. Move from a disempowering thought to a neutral one:

• “I’m learning how to manage my money with wisdom.”

• “I’m learning to set boundaries that honor my peace.”

This is how transformation begins, not by pretending you’re already there, but by choosing to believe something new.

Step 4: Choose What to Believe Instead

Willa offered a gentle reminder: When you catch yourself thinking small, respond as if you were talking to a dear friend. Would you criticize her or encourage her with grace?

You have permission to choose new beliefs, rooted in God’s truth. You have permission to believe you are capable of change.You have permission to grow.

Surrendering tolerations is not a to-do list, it’s an act of faith. It’s about letting God do the pruning so that you can flourish. If you’re ready to align your finances with your faith, we invite you to take the next step. 

Click here to download your First Step to Financial Fulfillment, our free audio experience designed to help you partner with God and walk in wisdom every step of the way.

True transformation doesn’t start with spreadsheets or budgets, it starts with surrender. When you release what no longer serves you, trust God with what’s next, and take aligned steps forward, you move closer to peace and fulfillment.

The moment you stop leading with fear and start leading with faith, confidence becomes your new currency.