In my last post, I talked about believing that we can be or do anything God wants us to be or do, but that I am also sobered by the awareness of what I can’t do. Let me give you some examples:
I am troubled by the fact that I cannot control my circumstances. I cannot guarantee my own health, hold the teeth in my mouth or the hairs in my head. Neither can I assure the well-being of those I love. As much as I would like to, I cannot by a thousand prayers or acts of kindness assure my loved one’s thoughts, feelings, circumstances, or the consequences of their own choices.
Then there’s my own heart. Even if I mastered the game of chess, the keyboard of a piano, or every principle of corporate management, I still couldn’t master my own heart, or my own mouth (James 3:8). Neither can I stop time, revisit the past to correct mistakes, nor take one step beyond the present to see and plan for what lies ahead.
I cannot keep the Lord from watching me, from loving me, from holding me accountable for every thought, motive, and action.
And, as much as I might like to, I cannot-in any realm of life-have it all. I cannot, at the same time, choose both good and evil. I cannot serve two masters. I cannot stop being an enemy of God as long as I am choosing to be a friend of the world (James 4:4).
Neither can I take rightful credit for my successes, my circumstances, my acquisitions. I cannot even see the extent of my successes or the number of my own failures.
Before going any further, what are you thinking?
Don’t feel limited by the following. But here are some questions I’d like to hear some comments on:
Do you think it’s helpful to think about what we can’t do?
How do you balance this with the possibilities of this amazing journey we call life?
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