All of us will be afflicted by some limitations in life, some minor and some serious; even in our Christian life. Physical limitations are the most obvious. Some physical limitations are from birth, some are due to injury or others come with age and use; like the arthritis in my knees or my hearing difficulty. My favorite example of overcoming physical limitations as a Christian is Joni Eareckson Tada. A diving accident at the age of 17 left her a quadriplegic in a wheel chair. Her infectious smile, beautiful singing voice and Christian testimony have lifted the hearts of millions including mine. For over 40 years her organization, Joni and Friends, has helped countless handicapped people around the world to get wheelchairs or other help they need. As if she hadn’t been through enough, several weeks ago she contracted Covid-19 and was critically ill. I watched a video update of her condition yesterday. At age 71, she seemed a little hoarse, but otherwise healthy. She described how she called out to God as the virus limited her breathing and He responded, “Do you trust me? Whether I take you home now or allow you to serve me longer; do you trust me?” She described a calmness that came over her and she was at rest in the shadow of the Almighty (a reference to Psalms 91:1) as she turned the corner and began to recover.
Some limitations are caused by others. My wife wanted to go to nurse’s training when she graduated from high school, but her mother wanted her to go to business school instead. All of her life, she regretted not trying to become a nurse. She told me, “Maybe she was right and I would have failed, but at least I would have known I tried.” In 50 years of marriage, I never saw her set her mind and heart to something and fail. One thing I do know; she had the TLC (tender loving care) down pat.
The saddest limitations of all are those we put on ourselves. One of my favorite quotes from Henry Ford is, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you’re right.” When God calls us to His service in whatever capacity, He can use us in spite of our limitations. In fact, he uses our limitations to His glory. When God spoke to Moses and ordered him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses reminded God of his limitations. God wasn’t looking for a great speaker; he was looking for someone to speak His message. God used Moses in miraculous ways, not in spite of his limitations, but because of them.
Personally, I believe if I had knee replacement surgery and physical therapy when I was considering it, before my wife was diagnosed with cancer, I would still be so active “doing” things for the Lord that this website and the more than 400 blog posts on it would not exist. Actually, that isn’t true. I’m sure God would have found someone else with physical limitations to write them instead.
So whatever limitations you might have now, or in the future, ask God to either help you overcome them or to use them for His glory. Whatever happens here, you can be certain when you enter into His kingdom all limitations will disappear and you will be the healthy, happy son or daughter He created you to be. Even Joni Eareckson Tada can look forward to joyfully dancing with Jesus.