When people tell me I have limits, I’m like:
We live in a world that says I have a right to be limitless. Unlimited data, streaming, and storage are our rights. Nike even has an ad that says, “When everyone pushes their limits, they reach their maximum potential and live happily ever after.”
And who doesn’t want happily ever after?
No one, that’s who.
So if we want to live without limits there are several steps we must follow.
Step 1: Believe the lies.
Living limitless means choosing to believe the lie that we couldn’t possibly be limited by talent, intelligence, time, money, physical strength, energy or spiritual understanding. We prefer to think that we have infinite capacity, that we can be more than one place at a time, and that we have all the answers. Living limitless means we’ve transcended the negativity of limits and boundaries.
Step 2: Try harder and do more.
Living limitless boils life down to logistics management, people-pleasing, and pushing ourselves past what we know is good, right, and true to our hearts. It means saying “yes” to staffing the fundraiser even though we’ll have to rearrange three other commitments to get there and getting up earlier (and losing sleep) to make homemade meals. When we’re limitless, we can add any project to our ever-growing plate because, well, we’re not slackers.
Step 3: Drift out of our lane.
Living limitless means being responsible for All The Things, caring about what is out of our circle of influence and ability, and taking ownership for what others have been invited into. Living limitless says that if there is a need, we will fill it. If there is a hurt, we’ll soothe it. If there’s a question, we’ll answer. To be limitless is to be all-powerful, all-available, all-knowing, and all-capable. We are the end all, be all.
But sweet friends, what if Nike got it wrong? What if happily ever after doesn’t come from pushing our limits and reaching our maximum potential?
What if we believed that, when everyone lives within their limits and becomes who they most truly are, Christ shines in the world?
So what does living within our limits look like? Unlike the limitless life, the limited life doesn’t require steps because it’s fueled by grace.
God asks us to know and name our limits instead of bristling against them.
God wants us to pay attention to our limits by gathering information from our soul. Our life speaks to us in the language of the heart, the heart that feels hurried and hassled or battered by a calendar, shoulds, and responsibilities it was never designed to bear.
Let’s name our limits in the presence of Christ…even the ones we’re afraid to say. Deep down, we know we’re limited by our energy, time, body, age, health, finances, and knowledge, but we can ask God to be our courage as we face the limits we’ve so long ignored.
God asks that we accept our humanity.
God desires that we accept how we’re built: not to be divine, but to be human. He never wants us to feel as if we’re responsible or obligated to do All The Things. He simply wants us to feel joy and fulfillment in the few things He’s asked us to do. He’s the One who does All The Things, who holds all things together, the One in whom, for whom, and by all things come together.
Let’s not beat ourselves up because we’re human. Instead, let’s ask God to help us accept our humanity and live from that place of truth.
God’s limits don’t mean that we’re failures or bad at time management.
God gifts us with limits so we’re free to surrender to what we’re uniquely gifted to do. When we carry out what we’ve been asked to do, not only are we filled with joy, but we make Christ known. When we use our gifts in loving service to others, we make Christ known to a hurting world. We shine our light and so shine Christ when we use our gifts and talents.
Let’s never rob the world of the light of Christ because we use our gifts to do All The Things. Let’s use our gifts to do the limited number of things He’s asked of us.
The steps we take together with Christ, hand-in-hand at an unforced pace, toward the path He’s set before us are the only steps we need.
When people tell us we have limits, we don’t have to be all shocked. Instead, we can embrace our limits as God’s arrows pointing us to Him and the path He purposefully picked out just for us.
‘The steps we take together with Christ, hand-in-hand at an unforced pace, toward the path He’s set before us are the only steps we need.” I am glad I got to read this post. visiting you from BHG.
Diana, thank you for reading! Our Good Shepherd is so gentle to lead us toward the path He picked us especially for us! -jill
I especially like this:
“Let’s never rob the world of the light of Christ because we use our gifts to do All The Things. Let’s use our gifts to do the limited number of things He’s asked of us.”
Amen, and so well said!
Susan, God is so good to give us the gifts that shine His light out into the world. What a privilege to get to shine them! -jill
Jill, you spoke directly to my heart by writing this article. I discussed this very subject with my husband last night. I, too, try to do “all the things” and often feel as though I’m not doing any of them as well as I’d like. I stepped back from one of the areas I’m serving at our church few days ago. I was stressed and exhausted to the point that it was affecting my sleep and mental health. Although I’m still serving in another area, I’ve felt so guilty and like a disappointment. It’s so difficult to accept our limits. This is something I need to be more prayerful about. Thank you for your encouraging words. May God continue to use you for His glory!
Jennifer, oh sweet friend! You’re so tired and guilt-ridden, right? It’s hard to do All The Things all the time at 100%. Don’t feel guilt, but let His grace wash right over you. Thank you for reading. -jill