LIFE AND LIMITATIONS
Do we really live in a world of limitations? We see athletes break records we once thought impossible. Some set goals to break record sales. Many of us push ourselves until the brink of fatigue and exhaustion. Just how far can we go and still remain healthy?
Physical limitations are probably the ones you will first notice. As you live, you realize that aging is inevitable. You might ache more than you did last year. Your eyes might not focus as well as they did last year. You might not be able to eat the same way you did when you were a twenty-something and expect to maintain a healthy weight. Physical limitations are hard to accept, but truly a part of living and aging.
Emotional limitations also impact your work. Your emotional involvement with your family might be too intense in crisis situations for you to truly function in the workplace. People in caring professions often become too emotionally involved in too many people’s lives, ending up fatigued and exhausted.
We are also impacted by mental limitations. Your mind is used to carrying out both simple and complex thoughts during the day. You can experience information overload, too much coming at you too quickly.
When it comes to emotional and mental limitations, many people ignore their bodies’ calls for help. People have limits – on the number of people they can care for; on the number of intelligent decisions they can expect to make; on the amount of time they can devote to a task; on how much new information they can absorb; on how many angry clients they can deal with. People have needs that must be met in order to remain functional.
Sometimes people look at their limitations in negative ways when viewed through the lens of employment. Some might fear that if they are limited in certain areas in the workplace, they might not excel, get a promotion, be respected, or have the security of employment.
From this standpoint, the issue of limitations becomes a spiritual one. We sometimes fear the future instead of looking to the future with faith. Sometimes, we fail to involve God in our work. We sometimes separate our lives into compartments – ones for faith, family, and work – and forget to involve God in all we do.
We must learn to rely on God instead of ourselves. He already knows what we are able do on our own. He also knows when to reach out to us with His limitless ability to give us what we need when we need it. What He will not do is assist us with something that is not His will. Some Christians have a real knack of “thinking up” something good to do for God. Some run ahead of Him in creating something of value to do for Him. Despite good intentions, we can sometimes wear ourselves out doing good while God is waiting for us to do something supernatural with His power.
Is there a game plan for living a balanced life and dealing with your limitations? Yes.
First, begin your day with Christ, and He will help you order your day with greater clarity than you can alone. Instead of moving quickly from one task to the next, consider how you can begin your day with a quiet time with the Lord. Ask Him to help you determine the priorities of your day. Ask Him for wisdom in dealing with your limitations.
Second, learn to say no. Satan keeps us fatigued and exhausted by feeding us the lie that something horrible will happen if we turn down an opportunity or say no to someone’s request. Sometimes the most intelligent thing we can do is to say no.
Third, learn to ask for help if you find that you are continually emotionally and mentally drained. Ask others to help you carry the load.
Finally, learn to live in faith, realizing that it is the antidote to fear. We don’t have to fear what might happen if we reduce the load that we carry. God is a good and powerful God who provides for our needs. He cares for us deeply. He knows what we long for, and He knows what we need. We can trust Him to reveal to us what He would have us do and show us what we need to avoid.
So, do we live in a world of limitations? Yes, we do. We have limits, but our Father in heaven is limitless. We must live in faith that God will provide what we need when we need it, and then we can live a life of greater abundance each day.
Physical limitations are probably the ones you will first notice. As you live, you realize that aging is inevitable. You might ache more than you did last year. Your eyes might not focus as well as they did last year. You might not be able to eat the same way you did when you were a twenty-something and expect to maintain a healthy weight. Physical limitations are hard to accept, but truly a part of living and aging.
Emotional limitations also impact your work. Your emotional involvement with your family might be too intense in crisis situations for you to truly function in the workplace. People in caring professions often become too emotionally involved in too many people’s lives, ending up fatigued and exhausted.
We are also impacted by mental limitations. Your mind is used to carrying out both simple and complex thoughts during the day. You can experience information overload, too much coming at you too quickly.
When it comes to emotional and mental limitations, many people ignore their bodies’ calls for help. People have limits – on the number of people they can care for; on the number of intelligent decisions they can expect to make; on the amount of time they can devote to a task; on how much new information they can absorb; on how many angry clients they can deal with. People have needs that must be met in order to remain functional.
Sometimes people look at their limitations in negative ways when viewed through the lens of employment. Some might fear that if they are limited in certain areas in the workplace, they might not excel, get a promotion, be respected, or have the security of employment.
From this standpoint, the issue of limitations becomes a spiritual one. We sometimes fear the future instead of looking to the future with faith. Sometimes, we fail to involve God in our work. We sometimes separate our lives into compartments – ones for faith, family, and work – and forget to involve God in all we do.
We must learn to rely on God instead of ourselves. He already knows what we are able do on our own. He also knows when to reach out to us with His limitless ability to give us what we need when we need it. What He will not do is assist us with something that is not His will. Some Christians have a real knack of “thinking up” something good to do for God. Some run ahead of Him in creating something of value to do for Him. Despite good intentions, we can sometimes wear ourselves out doing good while God is waiting for us to do something supernatural with His power.
Is there a game plan for living a balanced life and dealing with your limitations? Yes.
First, begin your day with Christ, and He will help you order your day with greater clarity than you can alone. Instead of moving quickly from one task to the next, consider how you can begin your day with a quiet time with the Lord. Ask Him to help you determine the priorities of your day. Ask Him for wisdom in dealing with your limitations.
Second, learn to say no. Satan keeps us fatigued and exhausted by feeding us the lie that something horrible will happen if we turn down an opportunity or say no to someone’s request. Sometimes the most intelligent thing we can do is to say no.
Third, learn to ask for help if you find that you are continually emotionally and mentally drained. Ask others to help you carry the load.
Finally, learn to live in faith, realizing that it is the antidote to fear. We don’t have to fear what might happen if we reduce the load that we carry. God is a good and powerful God who provides for our needs. He cares for us deeply. He knows what we long for, and He knows what we need. We can trust Him to reveal to us what He would have us do and show us what we need to avoid.
So, do we live in a world of limitations? Yes, we do. We have limits, but our Father in heaven is limitless. We must live in faith that God will provide what we need when we need it, and then we can live a life of greater abundance each day.
Timely words, needed reminding, feeling overloaded, over committed....
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