I have been thinking about the idea of limits this week. There are so many limitations that surround us today. Some limits, like speed limits, are for our safety. Others, like weight limits on your luggage, are more of an annoyance (but also for the safety of the baggage handlers). There are time limits on parking meters which can be a bad thing if you forget to pay attention. Sometimes we have physical limitations that keep us from participating fully.
There are limits that you can control. I often put limits on my evening social media scroll, which is a good thing! My Netflix has limits, after so long it asks if I am still watching (the answer is always YES!). I limit my accessibility by turning my phone on silent when I am out with friends. When cleaning house I set a timer to limit my cleaning so I don’t fall into the rabbit trail of other projects that may present themselves.
But I also think there are personal limits we set, intentionally or unintentionally. Occasionally our time has limits: when that neighbor stops you as you are heading out to run errands, or that one friend calls just as you were sitting down to eat dinner. I think my patience has limits which get tested often by the little things. How about you? What limits do you have? Where have you set your limits?
So here is what I am pondering…what limits do we have on our love? Should our love have limits? My default mode is always with my heart first followed sometimes by my brain. I am someone who wears my heart on my sleeve and sometimes love (wholeheartedly) too deeply which has led to hurt and heartbreak. We are told in scripture to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), but that is not a license to withhold love. So what does love without limits look like?
Blessings,
Pastor Jenni
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)