Knowing Our Limitations

By Mike Glenn

Photo by Norikio Yamamoto on Unsplash

Funny, we can’t do everything we want to do. We can’t do anything we want to do. As a culture, we seem to be discovering all at the same time this basic human truth – human beings have limitations. We only have so much time, so much energy and so much capacity. The wisest among us understand we are limited and learn to thrive within those limitations. The most foolish among us keep banging ourselves into the walls of our humanity.

I remember when computers were introduced as time saving machines. I remember when mobile phones were going to empower us to live the lives we’ve always wanted. We could be in touch with anyone anywhere and never be out of the loop on anything going on in the world at any moment.

It turns out being constantly in the loop is overrated.

We’ve found ourselves irritable, tired, frustrated and disappointed in life. We’re running as fast as we can just to stay in the same place.

A recent bestseller has made the case for paying attention to our limitations. David Epstein, in his book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, makes the case that limitations are needed for us to tap into our most creative and productive work. It is, after all, the banks of the river give the river its power. He cites several examples of people, who facing insurmountable barriers, found ways to succeed they would not have found if they had approached the problem with total freedom. Most of us are familiar with the challenge Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was given by his editor. Bennett Cerf bet Dr. Seuss fifty dollars he couldn’t write a book using only 50 words. Green Eggs and Ham was Dr. Seuss’s response to that challenge.

Humanity is slow to catch on to a basic reality that was clear from the beginning. We were created to live within certain limits. In the God story, humanity is introduced as stewards of the garden. God never gave the garden to Adam and Eve. They were told to work and tend to the garden, but they never owned it. God, in His mercy, didn’t give them the whole world. He made them responsible for the garden only. Ironically, the garden alone proved to be too much for them.

As we start our summer schedules, perhaps this would be a good time for us to remember we are creatures of limitations. This would be a good time to unload the unrealistic expectations we’ve put on ourselves. Maybe we need to reset the boundaries of our lives, attention, focus and energy.

How do we do this?

First, determine the boundaries of the “garden” God has given to you. Remember, God hasn’t given anyone the whole world. We’re only responsible for our part of it. Who are those people whom you are responsible for and responsible to? When you really think about it, it’s not as many as you think. There are our spouses, our children, our parents and extended family and a few close friends. That’s it. Not that we’re unaware of others and we certainly help and encourage others as God gives us the opportunity, but most of our energy and focus will be on a small, tight circle. This isn’t bad, it’s just the way it is. We only have so much time. We only have so much energy. Neglecting our family to serve on a church committee isn’t to serve God, but simply to neglect our family.

Once you have defined the limits of your garden, say “no” to everything else. Most of us, whenever we are asked to do something, give a half-hearted agreement to the request. I say “agreement”, because most of us never give a full “yes”. That is, we never fully commit to the project. We just sort of agree. Here’s the hard truth. Anything less than our full “yes” is a “no.”

We can, in reality, only give our full yes to a handful of things.

This brings us to the “FOMO’ moment – the Fear of Missing Out. If we limit our time and focus to work within our limitations, won’t we miss out on things?

The simple answer is “yes.” The question isn’t whether or not we will miss out on things, but what do we choose to miss? For instance, I cut back on my news consumption and my keeping up with politics. I realized I have no power to influence anything that is going on in that world. I vote. I occasionally contact an elected official, but when I found out the so-called news agencies only existed to keep me riled up so I would keep watching, I turned them off. My life has been so much richer.

I’d rather read. I’d rather talk to my wife or hang out with my sons. I’d rather go on some adventure with my grandchildren. I’d rather have a long cup of coffee with a few of my friends and if the afternoon is right, we might even light some good cigars. Those are the moments I don’t want to miss.

We don’t get to choose if we miss out. We get to choose what we miss. I’m perfectly comfortable missing the latest meme, political rant or video of a dancing cat.

There are only twenty-four hours in a day. There are only seven days in a week. In His mercy, God placed us in a very limited situation. I guess it’s His way of helping us focus on what really matters.