The Colt Went Home

I found myself lingering over a verse todayI had never really noticed before.

“The Lord needs it and will return it soon.” — Mark 11:3

I’ve read the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry countless times. The crowds. The palm branches. The shouting. The fulfillment of prophecy. But this time, my attention settled on the colt.

More specifically, I wondered…

How did the colt get back home?

Scripture never tells us.

At some point after carrying Jesus into Jerusalem, someone simply led the colt back to its owner. The parade was over. The crowd had dispersed. The extraordinary moment had passed.

And the colt went home.

The more I sat with that image, the more I realized how often I’ve struggled with seasons of transition.

Sometimes God invites me into an assignment that feels incredibly significant. A ministry opportunity. A leadership role. A season where I know He’s asking something specific of me. And if I’m not careful, I begin to confuse the assignment with my identity.

I start believing that what I’m doing is who I am.

Then, when the season comes to an end, I wonder if I’ve somehow lost part of myself.

But maybe that’s why this little detail in Mark has me thinking about where I am right now.

The colt’s identity wasn’t found in carrying Jesus. That was simply its assignment. Its purpose in that moment was beautiful, sacred, and unforgettable. But it wasn’t permanent. When the assignment was finished, the colt didn’t lose its value because it went back to ordinary life.

Neither have I.

God doesn’t ask me to build my identity around a role, a title, or a season. He asks me to carry the heart of Jesus wherever He leads. Sometimes that’s in front of crowds. Sometimes it’s in quiet places that no one else notices.

Either way, I bring my identity in Christ with me. And when the season changes, I don’t leave my identity behind because it was never rooted in the assignment to begin with.

There is something deeply freeing about that.

It means I can hold every opportunity with open hands. I don’t have to cling to what God is asking me to release. I don’t have to fear the end of a season as though the end of an assignment means the end of my purpose.

The same Jesus who had need of the colt knew exactly when to send it home.

I believe He knows when to send us home from certain seasons too.

Not because He is finished with us.

But because that particular assignment has been fulfilled.

Today, I’m asking the Lord to help me remember that my greatest calling isn’t to preserve a position. It’s to remain available. To carry Jesus faithfully wherever He asks, for as long as He asks.

And when it’s time to go home, I want to trust Him enough to know that obedience was always the point—not permanence.

Prayer

Lord, thank You that my identity is found in You and not in what I do for You. Help me to hold every assignment with open hands. Give me the courage to serve wholeheartedly when You call, and the humility to let go when a season comes to an end. Teach me to carry Your heart wherever You lead, trusting that You will always lead me exactly where I need to be.