I have never been a big fan of limits in my life! Maybe it all goes back to me being an only child. I’m not sure. Anyway, I never liked it when my parents said, “you can’t do that.”
In my 8-year-old brain, I’m like, “Oh, yeah! I’ll show you!
For example, there was the time I was visiting my cousins in the country. We went for a bike ride on a gravel country road. As we approached the top of a hill, my aunt suggested walking my bike down the hill.
The “oh yeah, I’ll show you” kicked in, and off I went careening down the gravel road. I was gaining speed and doing fine right until I hit a rut in the road. The bike stopped in the rut and catapulted me over the handlebars. I flew through the air like Superman for just a moment before face-planting into the road and sliding to a stop. With blood dripping down from the open wounds on my arms, I walked the bike the rest of the way home.
Pushing the boundaries of parental limits like that as a child resulted in more than a few cuts and bruises and, as I recall, a spanking or two.
As a teenager, I came to experience another kind of limit. These were self-imposed limits. As a sophomore in high school, I never asked Chris, the pretty girl who was a junior, to the dance because I was sure she wouldn’t say yes. Fear of a “no” created a self-imposed limit.
So, limits in my life took the form of limitations imposed on me and limits I imposed on myself.
As a Christian leader, there are limits you and I need to recognize and learn to deal with in our lives. First, I need to accept some limits God imposes, trusting in Him. And second, there are self-imposed limits that God wants me to break through!
Limits to Accept
There are some limits we need to accept as we trust in God. We all have a specific set of gifts and skills bestowed by God. However, there are far more gifts and abilities God did not give us, and we need to accept these limitations.
For example, until high school, I thought I would be a professional baseball player. But sadly, I didn’t have the skills to even compete at the varsity level in high school.
As an adult, I thought how wonderful it would be to sing worship songs with a deep voice like Josh Turner. But unfortunately, my voice is one that King David may have had in mind when he encouraged us to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1).
Sports and singing are but two of the limits God placed in my life. It would be foolish of me to try to become a professional baseball player or singer when God didn’t gift me with those talents!
Other God-imposed limits include things like our emotional, physical and intellectual capacities. Families impact our limits. And, there are limits on our time!
So, we should not try to circumvent the limits God imposed on our lives by doing things He did not design us to do.
But there are things God specifically designed us to do, and He gave us the gifts and talents needed to accomplish His work.
This brings us to the second kind of limits we need to learn to deal with in our lives.
Limits to Breakthrough
Often referred to in the business world as self-imposed limits, these are limits we place on ourselves without regard to the skills and talents we have.
There are several examples in the Bible of people who broke through their self-imposed limits to serve God.
- Gideon lacked confidence, so he tested God not once but twice before leading a small army of Israelites against the mighty Midianites.
- Elijah suffered from insecurity and depression but courageously obeyed, and God used him in mighty ways.
- Timothy was young and shy, but God called him to deal with the large church in Ephesus.
In each case, Gideon, Elijah, and Timothy (including many others) broke through their self-imposed limiting beliefs to serve as God called them.
They set aside their fear and, by faith, trusted in God, that where God calls, God provides.
Delivering breakthroughs by effectively dealing with self-limiting beliefs has been hard for me. As a result, there are times when I am not confident or downright fearful that I will not do what God has called me to do or that I will not do it well.
When I feel like this, I remember Peter’s courage, who, when invited, stepped out of the boat and walked on the water next to Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33). Imagine Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on water next to Jesus the next time you think you don’t have what it takes to do what God has called you to do!
More Articles
I have written several articles on self-discipline. You can find them by typing “self-discipline” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are five of my favorites.
- #380: What One Thing Do You Need to Do to Start Winning?
- #361: What Can You Do If the Battle is Unavoidable?
- #290: Are There Consequences for Living Any Way You Want?
- #281: How to Avoid the Dark Side of Happiness
- #132: Roadblocks—12 Impediments to Success
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How are you dealing with limits in your life? Are you doing things you shouldn’t, or are you failing to do something you should?
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Category: Personal Development | Self-Discipline
Another insightful piece, Ron. I think we fall into ruts sometimes, and develop these self-limiting beliefs. Conversely, sometimes self-imposed limitations can help us. For example, as an artist, I paint with a limited palette of just red, yellow, and blue (plus white). This seeming limitation actually keeps my paintings more harmonious. So, sometimes limitations can lead to freedom.
Hi John, Interesting perspective – I never thought about limiting beliefs in that way. I always considered them “I cannot do” rather than “I have the freedom to do.”
So true. What a great lesson to apply to our jobs and life everyday!
Thanks, Mayra. I hope all is well!