We hit our limits by getting ahead of ourselves: stretching, trying, straining, falling, adjusting, and trying again. We gain wisdom from overreaching. We learn humility from what we don’t understand or can’t do. We don’t have to fake it anymore. There is a curious satisfaction in realizing our own limitations. Take a cleansing breath. Heave a sigh of relief. Be yourself. Offer a nice little prayer.

“My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters  or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content” (Psalm 131:1,2).

God is beyond us and in us and with us. Our limitations are never the end of the story. He doesn’t honor barriers and tugs us past them kicking and screaming. When we settle down, we realize that he pushed us past ourselves to make us grow. He teams us with people whose limits are different from ours so we accomplish more together than we ever could alone. He redeemed us out of a love that is beyond our capacity to grasp it. He gave us faith in Jesus because we could never save ourselves. That is our confidence. We don’t need to make any excuses. We can offer a nice little prayer: “Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore” (Psalm 131:3).