Limitations can be very unkind and, well, limiting! We all have some very real limitations.
I'm short, 5'3", 60+ years old, and decidedly uncoordinated. Even if I wanted to, and I don't, I could never be a basketball player. I'm ok with that. As much as I would love to be the captain of a "starship" in space, they don't actually exist. So, that's a limitation that is disappointing, but I'll live.
Some limitations are temporary and/or just in my mind. Losing weight; a work in progress, limited only by my own self determination and discipline. "Reconstructing" this house; temporarily limited by finances and the availability of time. Visiting my Dad, Mom or children & grandchildren, other family and friends; temporarily limited by finances and time. Making some changes in my life; limited by my own choices, age, & temporarily by finances.
The other day I was speaking with a friend and we were discussing the limitations of our parents because of their health issues. Our conversation was eye opening, to say the least. As many of you know my Dad has Alzheimer's and we recently discovered he also has pancreatic cancer. His health is declining rapidly each day. He is now limited by his own body. Dad can no longer do the things he used to love doing, playing his guitar, bowling, tinkering on "projects" in his garage, going fishing, playing with his great grandchildren. The ravages of these diseases and age have taken a toll on my Dad's life. If he is having a bad day, he can't do anything about it, he can't even tell anyone anymore (Alzheimer's), except if he's able to say the word "hurt" or something similar. If I hate anything in life, I hate what this is doing to my Dad, how it is limiting his enjoyment of the final years of his life. I know this is not a choice he made, but I hate this limitation on my Dad nonetheless.
I'm making a conscious decision to do the best I can to "get healthy" and hopefully not be limited by my own body as I get older. Also, unlike my Dad, if I am having a bad day, I can choose to do something about it. I am limited only by myself, by my own mindset. I can choose to think of something positive, do something nice for someone, do something nice for myself. Those are just small things. Even if I am temporarily limited by something, my health, finances, time, etc, I can choose to make changes to remove those limitations.
(I'm working on some of those right now.)
Sometimes, we are limited by things outside ourselves; laws, weather, location, jobs, parents (if you are still living at home). We are ruled by a set of laws, by our government (wrong or right). We could break the law, but there are consequences, Not a good choice. We can make changes to some of this, by our votes, by speaking up and letting our political forces know what we want and don't want! We could go on a picnic during a blizzard, also not a good choice, and it might not be as fun as if we wait for nicer weather? I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
There's so much violence and sadness in the world today. Sometimes it's overwhelming & it can be limiting, (fear, emotions, new laws, etc). I refuse to allow these things to limit my emotions or my choices. I can fight these limitations. I can speak up, which I do on occasion. I can vote, which I do. And I can reach out to others, to change the world around me, one mind, one heart, one smile at a time.
In one of his recent podcasts, "To Quit or Not to Quit" my friend Jonathon Dunne asked the question, "does God have any limits?". My honest answer is yes, and no. He can do anything He wants, but He also gave us free will. For example, if I ask Him to help me with my weight loss, but continue to eat donuts and pizza and all the stuff I know I shouldn't, I'm putting limits on what He wants to do for me. If a person asks for help with their marriage, their children, their jobs, their...... but they aren't willing to do the work, they are putting limits on Him. He is willingly limited by the choices we make. Personally speaking I prefer to do things His way and I want to do whatever I can to remove the limits I have rebelliously placed on my Heavenly Creator!
So, here's why I'm writing this. I'm tired of living with all these self-imposed, health, age, financial and society imposed limitations. I can do what I need to do to make the changes necessary in my life, to get rid of as many limitations as possible. But I can't change the world, or even my little corner of it all by myself.
If you're up to it, ask yourself what limitations you are living with that you can challenge, maybe even abolish altogether? What can you do to change your little corner of the world and make it better.
I'm done with limitations.
As always you can find this article and many others at Lanterns Buzz.
