Limitations Serve God

My kids love my office. It’s not exactly the quiet place I imagined it to be, but it works. The books and my study materials and fountain pens are not exactly what draws them into my room! No. Their favorite part is the “stress ball” that hangs in the corner, and the boxing gloves that sit near my desk. Admittedly, watching all five children (2yr-10yr) take turns putting on oversized gloves is a real joy to watch! That “stress ball” is a double-end bag. I use it to take out my greatest stress and frustration: my limitations.

We all have limitations and we all eventually hit a wall. I hit mine, recently. My heart began thumping in different rhythms more frequently than normal, sometimes I had to cough and beat my chest to get past the flip-flop, then the sinking-rollercoster-like-feeling of delayed beats. The shortness of breath was the last straw when it should have been the third-last. (Undoubtedly, you DON’T need all the details, but testing revealed that I have reached my limitations!) I must rest more than I have been. Therein lies the problem.

We all have dreams, ambitions, and goals. Nobody wants to be told to “take it easy” when the most satisfying thing in life is striving for what you love. But what you love, can kill you! Study, intensity of mind, deprivation of sleep…your heart and flesh will fail regardless of your will-power. What a humbling place to be; recognizing that my love has been in the wrong place again! Resting in God and pouring out my limitations to him is what he wants! He does not ask us to burn ourselves out because he “needs” us—even if we desire to serve beyond our capability and lot in life.

After the test results, my wife and I pulled off down a dirt road to have a much-needed conversation. She was in tears of joy that my condition could be managed and “medicated” with more than 4hrs of sleep and stress reduction! She had been scared to death for my health, and I was her cause of fear—because I couldn’t fathom limiting myself of study, writing, and research into the late hours of the night. I truly began to believe that what made me “tick” was my love for serving the Lord instead of the Lord himself. The most crucial truth to this lesson is this: YOU MUST FIND YOUR REST IN THE LORD, NOT IN YOU’RE ABILITIES TO SERVE HIM.

God is more gracious than we imagine him to be. He truly is our “Sabbath” and can be trusted with our dreams, ambitions, goals, and concerns. Let God be the strength of your heart. Don’t let your heart deceive you into thinking your limitations define you; God created you with limitations to reveal His power thru the weak things of the world. So, gain strength in every stride with the one who enables every beat of your heart.

“My flesh and my hear may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26