One of the quiet truths you’ll encounter in Contentment: What You’re Searching for Is Already Yours is found in a chapter called “Living With Limits.”
Not a loud chapter. Not a demanding one.
But an honest one.
We cannot be everything to everyone. We cannot say yes to every need. We cannot carry every weight.
And still—we try.
Because the world keeps asking for more. And somewhere inside, we wonder if we should be able to give it.
But what if our limits are not holding us back?
What if they are guiding us forward?
In this chapter, you are invited
to stop measuring your life by what you cannot do and begin receiving your life for what it is.
A life with boundaries. With pauses. With space to breathe.
A life where “enough” is not a compromise, but a gift.
And maybe today, we don’t need to push harder.
Maybe we need to rest inside the limits that were never meant to harm us.
I like this blog, especially the statement, “We cannot be everything to everyone”. That really stood out to me because it is something people often forget while trying to meet everyone’s expectations. It is easy to feel like you have to say yes to everything or be available all the time, but that can become overwhelming. This line is a good reminder that it is okay to have limits and that setting boundaries does not mean you are failing, but instead it means you are taking care of yourself and being realistic about what you can handle. Overall, you will never be able to meet everyone’s needs and you will not be able to make everyone happy.
This is weirdly hard to accept given that the idea is so obvious. OF COURSE we have limits. We should acknowledge them. But I’m having a hard time, so that means you’ve really hit on something with me. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this blog, and how it talks about how limits work. I completely agree where it says that limits might be guiding us in the right direction. Limits are supposed to test us and teach us that we can push through anything that could be challenging.
This blog was so good, I liked how it talked about some standards that either we set or the world sets for us. Sometimes it’s not all about checking off all the boxes, or doing everything for everyone. This is why it is so important to pause. To breathe. To make “enough” actually enough. To not stretch yourself so thin that you break. Setting boundaries isn’t a bad thing even though sometimes it can be looked at that way. We are not pushed back by limits but accelerated forward.
This blog is something I needed and can relate to. I am a people pleaser and tend to try to do things for people even if its past my limit because of the fear of them being unhappy or not liking me. But sometimes it’s okay to set limits and only do what you know you can do without sacrificing your own wellbeing and happiness.
I love this pastor Chris I have never looked at limits like this. This give some a positive outlook on limits instead of a negative one.
It is so true that we cannot be everything to everyone. So much time is spent trying to please others when the only people we should be trying to please is God and ourselves. It is okay to set boundaries especially if it is at the expense of your happiness and well being.
i like to think that i’m a people pleaser. that i can make everyone happy and say yes to everything and be able to handle it all. but the truth is i can’t. with gods help i realized it is okay to not say yes. it’s okay. god is on your side and that’s all that matters.
I loved this blog, Pastor Chris! It is simple, and something we should definitely know…even a little bit obvious. But as we are used to keep pushing and thinking that nothing is enough, we accidentally forget about it. I really liked when you said, “But what if our limits are not holding us back? What if they are guiding us forward?” because I think that our limits guide us to the right path.
We cannot be everything to everyone. We cannot say yes to every need. We cannot carry every weight.
And still try
This was my favorite part because it reminds me of myself and how much i try and be a people pleaser to everyone all the time. It’s a good reminder that I’m human and dont have to be the perfect person at all times.
It’s kind of uncomfortable to sit with this honestly. Slowing down and accepting limits can feel like you are falling behind even if that is not actually true. But there is something real in the idea that not everything is yours to carry. Maybe enough is not something to chase it is just something you have to learn to live with.
I love this! Its a great reminder that every moment is something special, and we should take advantage of all the opportunities we are given at every moment
I really like this Blog. Most things we do, we automatically think we can’t do it. Everything happens for a reason and we need to get better at taking advantage of that.
I think that its really important what you said about how the world is always demanding more. We live in a world where success is defined by wealth and what one has, a life spent seeking things—never content with what we have, always wanting more. However, we do have limits and must lean that we cannot have everything. Peace and happiness is found in contentment, the ability to pause and rest. Our limits allow us to pause and rest, for without them we would never stop, always moving, going, seeking more, never content. I think limits are not curses, but blessing, giving us the opportunity to rest.