Learning to Embrace Limits

Learning to embrace limits is a hard thing to do in our success-driven, fast-paced culture. Yet it’s one of the most important things you can do in your spiritual life. That’s the lesson I’m learning this week, and I’m sharing it with you in this Tea on Tuesdays devotion.

Learning to Embrace Limits

As I’ve talked about many times before, I’m a hard-driven Enneagram 1. The Martha in me wants to get lots of things accomplished each day. She often overloads her plate with to-do’s and gets frustrated when she can’t find the help or energy she needs.

But my Enneagram 9 wing is my Mary side. She loves to sit at Jesus’ feet and contemplates his words. This Mary side of me is happy to slow down. So happy, in fact, that she can slip up in procrastination and laziness when she glances over at Martha’s pile of tasks.

I’ve written and spoken about setting boundaries, mostly against toxic behaviors of others. But this month I’m learning to embrace my limits by setting boundaries on myself.

Setting Necessary Limits

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

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The book that is teaching me now about setting limits on myself is Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. It’s one of my favorite reads from 2021, and the chapter on Embracing God’s Gift of Limits is stretching me in this current season.

There are so many deep truths in this chapter and whole book, I recommend you get a copy for yourself. In the meantime, I want to share a few important takeaways from this chapter with you.

1. I need to see my limits as a gift, not a burden.
  
  God sets limits on our experiences for our good, not as a way to punish us. From the first limit set in the Garden of Eden (you shall not eat of this tree) to all the limits I have in my life, God is working his best for me through them. I want to thank God for my limits rather than complaining about them.
2. I need to praise God for creating me with certain limits.
  
  He has placed limits within my personality, temperament, health, age, intelligence, sensitivity and physical health. He even created limits based on my family of origin. All of these parameters were created with his sovereignty and wisdom. They are inspiration for constant praise.
3. I need to recognize that every season of life has a limit.
  
  For me, the facts that I am married vs. single, mom of three teens vs. childless, and work from home vs. work outside the home, all carry limits. I have many opportunities inside of each of these seasons, but also limitations intrinsic to them. When I’m tempted to complain about the limits I have in this season, I need to ponder the unique blessings within each limit, not in spite of them.
4. I need to honor the daily limits on my time.
  
  I only have 24 hours to live each day – no more, no less. Lately I’ve been more intentional in asking God to show me how to use my time according to the limits in my daily schedule. I am holding my hours more loosely, learning to accept changes and interruptions with less frustration. I’m even learning to trust that if my body needs a nap, the rest of my day will go better. Also, practicing Sabbath rest is essential for preserving my peace during the week.

4 ways to learn how to embrace limits on yourself. #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #christianliving Click To Tweet

Meditation Verses for Learning to Embrace Limits

These verses remind me that I am limited, but God is unlimited. They humble me with truth about myself and comfort me with truth about God. I pray they bless you as they are blessing me.

“You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”

We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:5-7 NLT

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 NLT

“The grass withers and the flowers fade
    beneath the breath of the Lord.
    And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade,
    but the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:7-8 NLT

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9 NLT

And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.

Isaiah 64:8 NLT

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20 NLT

I’ve made these verses into a free printable for you here:

Meditation Verses for Learning to Embrace Limits

Free printable: Meditation Verses on Learning to Embrace Limits #printable #christianmeditation #spiritualgrowth Click To Tweet

Prayer

Here’s a prayer about learning to embrace limits.

Father God,

I praise you because you are limitless.

You created me with limits by design and for your glory.

I confess that I do not always appreciate my limits.

Too often, I complain or grumble rather than seeing them as gifts.

But I want you to use my limits to draw me closer to you.

Jesus, remind me that you worked within human limits to accomplish so much.

Guide me, Holy Spirit, as I seek to work within my limits to bring you glory.

May you use my limits to conform me more to Christlikeness each day.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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