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When I was beginning to write these devotionals on living with limitations for God's glory, I saw a post on Instagram from The Gospel Coalition about recognizing the differences between laziness and limitations. It was a post formed from an article by a man with advanced cancer, and he was discussing how being limited is not the same as being lazy. Is it possible to use your limitation as an excuse to be lazy? Sure. But being limited does not mean that you are lazy for resting or for being unable to do some of the things that you want to do, try to do, or even need to do.
It got me thinking. There are times that I am especially limited. There are times that all I can do is lay in bed and allow my sweet husband to serve me. But I am so blessed that this is not my reality every day! I still have days where I have a good amount of energy and low pain levels and I am able to do more things. I was recently convicted to consider how I am stewarding the times where I am less limited.
Perhaps you don't have many limitations in your life right now. How are you stewarding this time? It surely won't always be that way, so how are you using what you have now for God's glory? I have good days. How do I steward those good days to be faithful with the energy and health that I am given. It reminds me of Paul's praise to God followed by a helpful conclusion that we find in Romans. The Word of God says,
"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
(Romans 11:36-12:1)
Paul's "Therefore" at the beginning of chapter 12 is in reference to a lot of what was discussed in the previous chapters. However, it certainly applies just as much to the verse just before it. All things are from Him, so we should give all things back to Him as a sacrifice and ask Him to lead us in the best way to use all that He gives us.
Living with limitations, I have less to give than I once did. And years down the line, I may have less and less. But with what I am given, I want to be found faithful with it.
Being a faithful steward doesn't mean that you push yourself beyond your limit to do more and more and more. But it does mean presenting whatever you have before the Lord and offering it as a sacrifice to Him. When I have good health days, I ask the Lord how He would want me to use them for His glory and not to keep those times selfishly for myself. Sometimes, the best thing I can do with that time is to rest and take care of my body so as to honor my body, which is given to me by God. Sometimes, the best thing I can do is to go out and share the Gospel with strangers, neighbors, friends and family, or do any other variety of things and tasks. Being a good steward of whatever you do have, despite many limitations, looks like offering it all to God as a sacrifice and following His lead in however He may call you to use it.
It's easy to focus on what you don't have when you face limitations. I invite you today to consider what you do have and be a faithful steward of it.
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