The Sky’s the Limit, Innit? Learning to Thrive Within Your LimitsSample

Enlisting Our Limits

I’m limited in that I can only see the current step of the journey, while my unlimited God sees the entirety of my life. We were in the middle of the Covid pandemic when we were respite fostering and I thought that was the logical way to serve God. God saw how the world would open up again and that I would thrive working with deaf students in a college setting.

I learned that I don’t have the capacity to parent two children while doing the other things God is calling me to do. I love writing, speaking, and working with deaf people; all of these things are part of God’s calling on my life. I had wrestled with feeling bad about my parenting capacity, but I’ve now realized I’m just called to other things.

Living within my limits has brought more focus to my life. I’ve taken stock of what I love to do and now do more of those things. I’m careful in what I say yes to, as I know and work within the limits of my time, energy, gifting, and personality.

This is not a cop-out for never helping people. I can’t lay sprawled on my couch all day refusing to help people because I ‘know my limits’! Sometimes we have to push past our lack of energy, etc, to help others. But as a general rule, after 8pm I am way past my prime so I don’t do much. I block out two afternoons a week to write (I’m at my most productive at that time, unless it’s just the cake motivating me). My life feels more focused. I’m happy for those people who have multiple children plus chickens. I celebrate the grace upon their lives to do that and accept that there’s grace upon my life for one child, a bit of writing and speaking, signing, and trying to keep my husband happy (I dislike the ‘happy wife happy life’ strapline so I use ‘happy spouse happy house’ for equality purposes). Working within my limits has brought focus, freedom, grace, and enjoyment to my life.

Reflection

What has God called you to do?

Have you taken on too many other things, even if from a good heart, which are now preventing you from doing the things you feel gifted by God to do?