Our Limited Life; Our Limitless God

It can be very frustrating as humans to live with limitations! We get annoyed at ourselves for being impatient; we get discouraged our body doesn’t work or look like it might; and we are easily disappointed when we aren’t as kind or as loving as we hoped. We can easily allow our limitations to become something to fight against, rather than soften us.

Songwriter Leonard Cohen writes of human weakness: “There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in”. And it’s true – there is nothing on earth that lacks frailty. We are not undefeatable, shining beings that can conquer anything. We are fragile, easily offended and weak in nature (even though we try and hide it with a more presentable exterior)! But as Christians, we can go even further: We may be jars of clay, but God has placed a beautiful treasure inside of us. And so, the light of Christ not only shines in through the cracks, but also radiates out through his loving Holy Spirit. We aren’t weak for the sake of it – we are weak to allow God to shine through us.

2 Corinthians 4 verse 7 says: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

That’s the incredible thing about knowing God – within our frailty lies a beautiful treasure that points to our wonderful and powerful God. And the more we recognise our limitations, the bigger space we create for God to work in our lives. John writes ‘He must increase, I must decrease’ (John 3:30). Less of me, more of Him. That’s because what we lack, God has in limitless measure. Where current culture would tell us to self-improve, we can ask God to change us and provide where we fall short. Where we lack patience, He is full of patience; where we lack self-control, He can give us power through His spirit to act wisely.

Our limitations are not for nothing. They are to point us to our Father God, who can fill us and empower us so we can rely and trust in Him to provide for us. To help us realise we are not in control, but He is. And because we were made to worship Him and reflect Him – miraculously, God makes us like Himself when we humble ourselves and rely on Him.

It’s got me thinking, is there a way I can lean into my weakness, to the things I lack and the troubles I face? My issues of control, my hard heart that finds it hard to not take offence, my tiredness from having a baby – and to cooperate in some way with my frailty rather than resist it? When we do that, we can trust that God will craft our character if we allow him to. Instead of fighting against our issues, we can ask God to reveal what he’s teaching us in it all.

One of my favourite verses is in Romans 5 v 3-5: “ We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

What incredible truth – that God is using our difficulties and weaknesses to build godly character in all of us. A journey that leads to hope where we no longer have to be ashamed of who we are, but can rejoice in God’s love he has freely given to us - no matter our situation.