The Gift Of Limitations

-We can get to a place of weariness in our soul, where doing the little things (menial tasks or household chores) become big and big things (faith in God, relationships, and just enjoying the world around us) become little. If we don’t take care of ourselves and guard ourselves emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, we are likely to run out of fuel and stall out or burn out.

-Jesus told a story about 5 wise bridesmaids & 5 foolish ones in Matthew 25:1-13. The 5 foolish ones did not have enough fuel to keep their lamps burning, so they lost out. They had the same opportunity that the other 5 had, but they did not take the time to prepare themselves adequately. We may revisit this story in a moment, but the point is that we have all we need from God, but we need to take the time to let Him fill us up.

-Taking care of yourself is more about being than doing. Doing is important, but there is always more stuff to do. And if doing flows out of being (as I believe the Bible indicates), then we need to make sure the cart is not in front of the horse (Mary & Martha). Choose the better part which will not be taken away.

-Take time to rest. Take time to pray. Take time to be in God’s presence. Refresh yourself in His word. Enjoy His presence. Drink in the beauty of His creation. Stop and smell the roses. Take care of yourself! The people around you need you for who you are more than they need you for what you can do for them! And you are amazing! Made in the image of God! Created to bring glory to God! Made alive in Christ as a new creation! And yes, created for good works that flow out of who you are in Christ.

-Take care of yourself! There is only one you. You are the only version of you that God created.

2. It’s okay to have limits

-I love how author Jodi Detrick describes limits. If you hold out your hands with palms facing you, that represents your limits. It is self-imposed and deals with your actions and choices. Limits have to do with self-control (fruit of Spirit). Just as people with unhealthy addictions struggle with self-control, so people who do not know or observe limits also struggle with self-control. Life without limits is unhealthy for us!

-If we fail to observe limits, we will be limited in what we have to offer the Lord and other people. Sometimes we live like we have no limits. For us men in might be an ego thing. We live like we have an endless supply of energy, stamina, health, emotional capacity, and time. This will catch up with us unless we begin to observe limits and control our lives, rather than being controlled by everything else.

-I encourage you to rethink how you evaluate your day. We can be so performance-oriented sometimes that we are only pleased with ourselves at the end of the day if we can cross off a dozen or more tasks that needed to be done. What if one of the primary factors essential to a good day included the question, “How did I feed my soul today?” And maybe this one: “Did I invest in being or primarily in doing?” If we over indulge in doing, we may not have anything left (time or energy) for being.