4/23/2026 by ems
Each of us faces limits daily. We are limited by things beyond us, like gravity or time, or things within us, like our own strength or abilities, as well as things around us, such as seasons or the decisions and actions of others.
At times, we also face loss: losing a loved one, losing a job, or even losing hopes and dreams. Some of these limits and losses are expected, yet many catch us by surprise.
So how do we thrive within them and live with joy?
God is sovereign over all creation, and nothing is outside of His power and care. Yet our response when we face these challenges may be less than gracious as we express impatience or frustration. To move beyond these takes a commitment to three things.
First, assess the extent of the limit or loss.
Is it temporary or permanent? Is this event just a passing incident, or will it influence your life for a while?
Once you evaluate this, breathe and
commit to being thankful for whatever the impact of the experience.
Seek to count your blessings and thank God for His faithfulness to sustain you throughout this limit or loss.
Secondly, acknowledge that God is greater than any disappointment you face, and He is able to comfort, protect, and carry you through and beyond this.
God is mindful that we are but dust and commands us to cast ALL our cares on Him, because He cares for us.
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.”
~ 1 Peter 5:6-7
Thirdly, commit to being creative.
Are there new ways of doing things you can adopt now that your life has been intersected with the unexpected?
A few years ago, I injured my wrist and thumb when I fell while helping a friend with a garden project. I was quite discouraged that first night and struggled not only with the pain, but also as I began to realize some things would have to change significantly for a period of time.
After I cried myself to sleep, the next morning, I committed to focusing not on what I couldn’t do, but on what I could. I then discovered unique ways to do things one-handed and gained a great appreciation for the way God has created our fascinating, amazingly mobile hand.
I had to:
1) recognize that this injury was not permanent,
2) realize with thanksgiving that God saved me from greater danger, and
3) reach out to those who could aid me with tasks that I cannot do for now.
But what if the turning point is life-altering?
How do you deal with an undesired circumstance?
To begin with, you stop and thank God for the incident, even if it is unexpected, shocking, or unwelcome.
It is well-pleasing to God to be grateful and to thank Him for everything in our lives.
1 Thessalonians 5 says:
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing
18 give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
We can trust God with our calamities because He is the author and perfector of our faith and directs the path of our lives. He is good, and He is worthy of our praise at all times. And He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. We are never alone. In fact, God goes before us and prepares the way that we have yet to travel.
26 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:26-28
Did you catch that?
God actually prays for us!
Secondly, we resolve to adopt a positive attitude.
Ask God to help you see things through the lens of His faithfulness. Perhaps He has allowed these difficulties to shape our character, increase our faith, enable us to have more compassion for others, and give us the skills and tools we will need and can use for the rest of our lives.
So we make a conscious decision:
To have an attitude of gratitude and to accept the lot that has landed in our lap because God has lovingly allowed it.
When we face something particularly distressing, it’s hard to see God’s loving hand, but His every action is motivated by love. 💗 Even when we cannot see it, we can trust that the Almighty God and our Everlasting Heavenly Father continues
to love us in our dire circumstances,
and through them
and to fortify us beyond them.
Isaiah 42 reveals:
3 a bruised reed he [Jesus] will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he [Jesus] will not quench;
He [Jesus] will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6″ I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;”
Thirdly, we rest in God’s Sovereignty.
God, Who created time and is beyond all that we see, feel, hear, taste, and touch – He is beyond all our experiences.
God is still on His throne.
He will not allow the difficulties that we are going through to destroy us, but to mold us and to make us more into His glorious image.
Psalm 34: 4-9; 15-20 details:
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him from all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
And he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
…
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
But the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.”
God. Is. Good. …
even when our circumstances are not!
So take heart 💝
God is with you.
God is for you.
And God goes before you!
Whether the occasion you face is temporary or permanent,
The Lord God Maker of Heaven and Earth remains the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Some of the world’s greatest treasury of music, poetry, and art is birthed out of the lives of individuals who have faced limits and losses.
Make a choice here and now: choose to thrive and create in whatever circumstances in which you presently stand.
God is with you and for you and will enable you to endure and
return you to joy once again!
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Learn more about Jesus here:
https://watch.thechosen.tv/page/seasons%201-3
https://www.navigators.org/resources/
Gleanings From Heaven's Gate 