Several years ago, Sharon and I heard medical doctor Richard Swenson as he spoke to our District’s pastors in a renewal conference. He had written a book called Margin—dealing with the overload that has invaded our lives, especially since the 1960s. Since then, he has written another book: The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits. Because all of us need to learn to live life-sized lives, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Swenson with the following quotation. If you find his comments helpful, you may wish to read one or more of his books.
When I look deeper at the life of Christ, I… notice that there is no indication He worked twenty-hour ministry days. He went to sleep each night without having healed every disease in Israel—and He apparently slept well. Neither did He minister to everybody who needed it. Neither did He visit or teach everybody who needed it. There were many needs that He simply chose not to meet. Even when Lazarus became sick, Jesus was shockingly slow to mobilize. I would have had a helicopter there in twenty minutes. But Jesus delayed for two days…
Since God is the author and creator of my limits, then it is probably okay with Him that I have limits. He probably does not expect me to be infinite and is a little surprised when I try. It is okay with Him if I am not all things to all people all the time all by myself. As a matter of fact, it is probably not okay with Him if I assume otherwise.
You see, it is okay for me to have limits—God doesn’t.
It is okay to get a good night’s sleep—God doesn’t sleep.
It is okay for me to rest—God doesn’t need to.
It is probably even okay to be depressed—because God isn’t.We do not know a lot about what heaven looks like, but this much we know: God is not pacing the throne room anxious and depressed because of the condition of the world. He knows, He is not surprised, and He is sovereign. It is okay if we have limits. He is able.
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