What Do I Know About Limits?
What Do I Know?: Part 2
November 9, 2025
Psalm 103:6-19, Psalm 90:10-17, Matthew 11:28-30
The days of a human life are like grass: they bloom like a wildflower; but when the wind blows through it, it’s gone; even the ground where it stood doesn’t remember it. But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now for those who honor him.
~ Psalm 103:15-16
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
~ Matthew 11:28-30
note: no sermon for this week - we did our quarterly “Breakfast Church” and had table conversations around the topic of living within our limitations and finding rest in God.
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One of the greatest lies our culture has taught us is that we should live without limits. In almost every field, success is defined by pushing the boundaries: bigger, faster, stronger, better, without end. The people who tell us this are like Pharoah in Egypt, profiting off our constant striving. Slowing down is not good for the engine of capitalism.
This constant push for more has led to a legitimate health crisis called “hurry sickness,” and it is literally killing us mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Using the checklist below, see how many symptoms of hurry sickness you have, but do not feel guilty or shamed. If you struggle with hurry sickness, it’s not your fault. The truth is that this is how most of us are conditioned to feel.
□ Irritability (especially at little things)
□ Hypersensitivity
□ Restlessness (difficultly relaxing)
□ Workaholism / non-stop activity
□ Emotional numbness
□ Out of order priorities
□ Lack of care for your body
□ Escapist behaviors (overeating, social media, binging, etc.
□ Slipping of your spiritual practices
□ Isolation
Jesus realizes the people are tired and worn out. Even their religious practice has become a drain rather than a source of renewal and life. And he responds by inviting us to live differently, to learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
Even Jesus acknowledged his limits. He regularly got away for time alone when the crowds pressed in and demanded more. If even Jesus had to honor his own limitations, how much more do we?
The path of simplicity and being fully present with God, ourselves, and others begins by getting rid of clutter, both external and internal. Clutter is anything that does not add value to your life, anything that does not spark joy.
Where is God inviting you to acknowledge and honor your limits this week?
What is one place you can begin to declutter your life and live more simply, internally or externally?
How do you respond to Jesus’ invitation to rest?
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This week we had “Breakfast Church” which included a time of table conversations around acknowledging our limits. Consider getting together with a couple of other people this week to discuss the conversation starter below:
We all have limitations that we don’t like to admit. Here are a few:
Our bodies – physical limitations
Our minds – we don’t know what we don’t know
Our gifts – the problem of comparison
Our personalities & emotional wiring – we only have so much capacity
Our families of origin
Our socioeconomic origins / opportunities
Our education
Our season of life
As you consider this list of limitations, discuss or journal about the following questions:
What limits do you most struggle to acknowledge and why? What feelings come up for you when you think about your limits?
How might accepting or honoring those limits bring you greater freedom? How might your limits be a gift instead of a weakness?
How can appreciating our limits help us extend grace to one another?