I wrote this short piece 7 or 8 years ago when I began working on simplifying my life.  Perhaps it will put into words a little of how you feel each day?

The Juggler

I'm a pretty good juggler… not of balls, but of activities.  I'm great at multi-tasking.  I thrive on excitement and the adrenaline rush that making the attempt to juggle six balls at once gives.  Or perhaps I should say, I used to enjoy it.

I found myself trying every method I could think of to get that sixth ball into the air.  I was pretty good up until five.  But that sixth ball didn't just drop to the ground alone, it always took three or four other balls with it.

That's because I had exceeded my limits.

It didn't matter how hard I tried or what order I arranged the balls in.  It didn't matter how I got them going or how slowly I added each one in, at least half of them dropped to the ground when I went past my capability.

I felt guilty all the time.

No matter which balls I had in the air at one time, there were always one or two or three that were laying at my feet on the ground.  My efforts were never enough to master the task and feel successful.

What if I had realized that my limit was five?  Would I have been successful more often, but still tired and worn out?  It takes a lot of concentration and energy to juggle five balls!

What if I had the confidence and boldness to be satisfied with juggling only four balls… one under my achievable maximum?  Would I have felt guilty for doing less than my best?  Less than was possible, or would I have rediscovered that juggling could be fun?

Do you know your limits?

Are you comfortable with the thought that you have limits?  Do you know what your natural limits are and how to work within them?   In reality, all of us have limitations.  We're good at some things and struggle with others.  All of us, even the least creative among us, can dream up more things that we would love to do than we'll ever be capable of accomplishing.

Remember back in the Garden of Eden?  Mankind was created with two special gifts that have since been lost, perfection and eternity.  We still long for perfection.  Watch a two year old child trying to master a new skill, and you'll see his or her innate awareness of perfection and frustration that he or she isn't capable of achieving it!  At the core of almost every human's heart is a hunger to be perfect.  We all long to live a perfect life, to perfectly achieve the tasks that are attempted, and to live in perfect control of our homes or work lives.  Yet, the reality is that not one of us is capable of perfection… excellence yes, perfection no.  Living within our limits means setting excellence as a goal and letting go of unrealistic expectations of perfection.

Time is a finite boundary and limitation for every one of us.  We each are given the same 24 hours per day, 168 hours per week and 8,736 hours per year.   Yet our imaginations are still the same ones God created us with and they have no boundaries!  We can imagine amazing things… but rarely do we have the time to do all we can think of.  In reality, we are creatures of eternity that have been placed within the confines of time.  We can never do all we can think, or hope, or dream of doing.  Time will always be our enemy, because we weren't initially created to live under it's tyrannical rule.  Accepting time's limitations on our lives is a vital part of simplifying those lives.

My goal each day, with the 24 hours that have been entrusted into my care, is to wisely select the tasks I invest that precious time in.  I want my time to yield great fruitfulness for the Lord and for my family.  Because of this, I try to select my activities with eternity in mind, so that what I achieve with time will last beyond time into eternity.  How about you?

Audrey Jeanne Roberts