Limits

"My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."


Last week, I shared this cartoon on my Facebook timeline. While it is funny, and a little tongue-in-cheek, there is a certain truth and reality to the situation pictured. We all have circumstances or events that seem to push us to our limit. When this happens, what do we do?

One of my favorite little pleasures in life is starting my day, drinking an ice cold Dr. Pepper. Not being a coffee drinker, I feel I need something to help "jump start" my day. For me, it just gets the day started off right. Unfortunately, there are days when the Dr. Pepper is a little slow in coming. When this happens, I can be heard using the excuse "Well, I haven't visited the Dr. this morning", or "I haven't had my Pepper yet," as if that is an excuse for my actions and reactions. In that little joke, I let people know "I have reached my limit", and that I can't deal with this situation effectively, because I haven't had some caffeine.

Many times, this is how I have lived my day to day life. I, in my own ability, work to do the things I need to do. When this happens and I live life this way, eventually, I reach the limits of my strength or the "medication" I feel I need to make it through the day. When I come to this point, I have found that this is the moment in which I finally turn to the Lord and seek His power and strength. At this limit, only then do I turn to Him.

Over the years, I have finally begun to realize how backwards this thinking is, and how often I stress and burn myself out, simply because I did not come to Him before reaching that limit. Sometimes I feel I have to let God sit back while I deal with all the day to day minutia, but the reality is, He wants to be there, in it, with me. He does not just want me to turn to Him only after I have reached my limit or made a mess of things. He wants to walk with me each and every day, in every single instance. He stands ready to give me the grace and strength I need to live out this life.

Over this week, as I have encountered many "interesting" circumstances, the Lord has reminded me of some of His promises:

Psalm 27:1, 14
Isaiah 40:29-31
II Corinthians 12:9
Psalm 46:1-3, 7, 11

I encourage you this week, take time to remind yourself of these and other promises. As Philippians 4:13 tells us, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This includes the everyday little things that we often let God sit on the sidelines for. Let Him be your rest, strength, and peace in every situation today, not just the big ones.