I was a little bit surprised to hear some words come out of my own mouth the other day:
“I know my limits.”
To which my husband replied, “Yes. But it’s taken you a while to get there.” (And, for the record, I am still a work in progress and struggle every day. The difference now as opposed to this time last year is that I’m more aware of the process.)
Finding and respecting limits of mental, physical, and emotional reserves must be an intentional process. Our fast-paced culture will not slow down for us saying, “Oh, I’ll wait right here with my demands until you can cope with me.”
Our responsibilities, concerns, and obligations will suck every last ounce of goodness out of us if we aren’t careful.
This past year has been a crucible for our family; all sorts of challenges have produced great periods of fiery heat and those impurities are melting away. Some of those impurities include my delusions that I’m super-human with limitless ability to love, serve, and work.
What about you?
- What would happen if you faced your limits—and respected them?
- What would happen if you surrendered to the inevitable and instead of fighting it, you embraced it as God’s perfect call for you?
- What if you delegated responsibilities to others who enjoy and are good at them?
- What if you concentrated on doing one or two things to the point of greatness instead of spreading yourself too thin?
- What if you got enough sleep and laid off the fast food?
- What if you prayed more and spent more time with God?
- What if you pursued meaningful work within your gift and skill set?
- What if you simply eliminated destructive distractions and instead focused intentionally on living in Christ?
- What if you refused to be controlled by the tyranny of the urgent?
- What if you looked around your house to notice God’s blessings and sincerely asked him for guidance in being a steward of his creation?
Dear readers, I pray that you (and I!) would prioritize and recognize that some things are just more important than others in this life. We deny God’s graciousness when we equivocate temporal “stuff” with everlasting souls.
Keep pushing decisions and responsibilities through that grid of priority and continue to evaluate. My guess is your limits—those beautiful boundaries of protecting restraint—will become vividly apparent.
~~~
Don’t miss a post. Subscribe to my blog now, please!
~~~
photo: Jenny Rollo
Important Reminders
Please note: this blog features affiliate links. Should you make a purchase using my link, I will receive a small commission in exchange for my referral.
Latest posts by Mary Bernard (see all)
- How God Gets Our Attention - July 7, 2013
- Competition Is Irrelevant When You Follow Your Passion - May 30, 2013
- Mission Field or Mopping Floors? Following God’s Call - May 22, 2013
Loved this post Mary. I think its easy to put things first that should NOT be first. It’s easy to lose track of what is important too. We listen to all the wrong voices. We focus on the wrong things. It’s when I take the time to focus on God and dwell on Him that I find what I’m supposed to be doing. Things become very clear. Thanks for this post.
You’re welcome and thanks for your comments. I agree that focus is so important. It’s key to eliminate distractions. I think creative types, especially, are easily distracted from the most important things and must, therefore, be reined back in (or at least that’s my experience. 😉 )
great post! for me it was very timely, meaningful and moving.
Thanks, Jena. Your compliments mean a lot. 😉