The Irritation of Our Humanity

Oct 30

4 min read

The rubber band of life stretches, stretches, stretches us just a little bit farther, just a little bit farther, stretch, a little bit further....doesn't it?

I can squeeze this in.

I can meet this person in that window.

I can swing by the grocery store after the dentist.

You know the pull. One more thing. One more person. One more responsibility.

One more. One more. One more.

If you're like me, you have days when you crawl into bed, asleep before your head even gets the satisfying exhale of nestling the pillow. You maximized your time. You got it all done. Barely.

But then there are those little reminders called...

Sleep.

Food.

Water.

These daily shoulder-taps reminding us that we are human. We are mortal. We are finite.

Even the richest person in the world has to sleep. No amount of money, influence, or productivity can eliminate the body's need for rest.

Even the most capable person in the world needs water. Without it, you cannot survive.

Even the most powerful person in the world needs food. You're dependent on it. Your body requires nourishment to keep going.

You are human. You are not Superwoman (as much as I want to cup your chin right now and tell you how sincerely I actually think you are). You have real, physical, daily needs that remind you of your limits.

And sometimes, I find those limits a little...irritating.

There is just so much to do. So many people to love. So many good things that need our attention.

We live in such a fast-paced, selfie-sick, productivity-praising world. Time is money, they say. And somewhere along the way, we begin to believe that every moment must be maximized, every need must be met, and every opportunity must be seized.

But Scripture reminds us:

"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

James 4:14

Our time is finite. We are mortal.

And we feel it. I feel it.

Do you feel it?

So my challenge to myself, and to you today, is this:

Take a deep breath.

Remember your humanity.

Rest in His limitlessness.

One day, we are going to die, and the world is going to keep on turning. The sun will continue to rise and then set and then rise again.

Our to-do lists feel massive in our minds. And I'm not just talking about the selfish, meaningless things that fill our calendars. I'm talking about the beautiful, caring, outward-focused lists. The ones filled with good intentions and genuine desires to love people and glorify God...

The meal trains. The ministry opportunities. The friends who need encouragement. The people we want to show up for.

These are good things. Beautiful things.

But here's where I am so guilty: I forget that I have to trust the Lord with the people I care about.

We can't do it all, ladies. And God isn't asking us to.

What if God is actually asking you to say no to the meal train this time because He is calling you to sit in intentional prayer for a friend who is struggling? Anyone else been ignoring that nudge that keeps sitting on your heart's doorstep?

What if God is asking you not to volunteer for that ministry position because He is calling you to pour more intentionally into your marriage?

Do you see what I'm saying?

Sometimes, just sometimes, perhaps the godly way, the obedient path, is the quiet, unseen obedience that only you and Him know about. The one that doesn't get applause. Maybe others even judge you for it?

What if He is calling you to rest? What if He is asking you to stop trying to fill His shoes?

Maybe the worshipful thing for you to do today is to linger a little longer in His Word and entrust that unfinished item on your to-do list to Him.

Maybe the faithful thing is to remember your place as a mortal human being and trust Him to care for the people you love so deeply.

(Quick detour: Could it be that our to-do list have a sprinkling of our lack of trust in Him in them? Or could it be that our to-do lists are more about the way we want to be seen as "the person who shows up" than it is about true worship? I am realizing that that is sometimes the case for me.)

The beautiful reminder of our limitations is that they remind us of His limitlessness.

We need sleep. He never slumbers.

We need food and water. He is the Bread of Life and The Living Water.

We run out of time, energy, and strength. He created those things.

And while our limitations may sometimes irritate us, they are also an invitation to remember who we are and, more importantly, who He is.

"I AM WHO I AM." Exodus 3:14

Be encouraged, friend. The great I AM is infinitely more capable than you and me.

We are mortal. He is not.

You can put down the to-do list for a minute. You can leave something undone. You can love people deeply without being responsible for meeting every one of their needs.

You can rest, because He never does.

So slow down.

Take a deep breath.

And breathe to the glory of God.

Amen.

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Two terrific books on this topic that I highly recommend if you need to sit with this topic more in depth: