“For if the heart is applied first, it is accepted according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
It sounds strange, but we accomplish the greatest things spiritually when we learn to work within our limitations. If we spend our energy worrying about our obstacles and complaining about our limitations, we will not be able to do any lasting good; Yet when we accept our limitations and gratefully engage in what we are truly capable of doing, productive things begin to happen.
On the one hand, the realization that God does not expect anything from us that we cannot do should relieve us of much stress. But on the other hand, the realization that God expects more of us than we can do should be a motivator. When the time of judgment comes, our judge will be concerned with what we have done with our abilities, with the possibilities he has placed before us. Even now, we can already see the damage that has been done by failing to do small things on time, things that were definitely worth doing at the time we decided not to do them. A human life is ultimately gathered from these moments, and eternity will be the end result of all these choices we are making now.
If we are serious about making spiritual progress, one of the most useful things we can do is focus on the virtue of “resourcefulness.” An old-fashioned definition says that resourcefulness means “figuring out how to do a lot with a little.” Regarding spiritual things, we certainly need to be more resourceful, don’t we? Teddy Roosevelt used to say, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” By applying that good advice to our spiritual lives, we can learn to understand the simple, doable things that are in front of us and resourcefully extract the maximum goodness from each moment. With such steps we move towards God.
British author Lawrence Durrell once said in an interview, “It is useless to strive for things beyond your reach, just as it is completely immoral to be complacent about the qualities you have.” This principle is as true in spiritual life as it is in the art of writing. If something is not possible, it is not necessary. what we have to do is necessary can do to do.
“I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do some. And what I can do, I must do. And what I must do, by the grace of God, I will do” (Edward Everett Hale).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
