I’m sure we have all encountered problems that we couldn’t figure out. By the way, if any of you look at the math problem above and understand it, you’re way too smart to be reading my blog!! We all come across situations and problems daily that exceed our capacity to work through. They may be relational problems, financial problems, spiritual problems, emotional problems or something else entirely.

2 of the hardest words for me to say are…I can’t. I hate saying those words. They feel so defeatist to me. I like to think that with enough time and energy, I can do just about anything. While that is the stuff that great motivational talks are made of, it’s simply not true. I can’t play in the NBA. I can’t play a piece from Mozart. I can’t compete in the Olympics. There are a lot of things I simply can’t do. To be sure, there are a lot of people that use those 2 words as an excuse and that’s definitely not what I am advocating. What I am saying however, is that we need to be comfortable using those words when it’s appropriate.

If we operate under the delusion that we can do everything, we will burn ourselves out real quick. I think that one of the biggest hindrances in my walk with God is my pride in thinking I can do everything on my own. I probably could have saved myself a good bit of heartache if I had just learned to say “I can’t” more quickly. I believe that God delights when his children begin to learn their own limitations. It is the recognition of these limitations that creates the space for him to work in our lives.

Where are you trying to carry more than you are able to carry? What is preventing you from acknowledging the obvious truth that you simply can’t do it?