Limitations Offer Us Freedom

Is fire a good or bad thing? 

Well, that depends. 

Is it limited fire? 

Fire with limits is a good thing. It heats homes, and we can make s’mores. (And who doesn’t like s’mores?)

But a fire without limits, outside of limits? That’s when we get situations like California. It burns down homes and forests, kills life. 

We want our lives to be unlimited, totally free. But limits don’t prohibit freedom or life – they are the guardrails that keep good things from burning us to the ground. Limits actually offer us freedom. 

Technological advances are great. They let us reach for goals previously unattainable and they improve the quality of life for people across the world. We now have the ability to carry the equivalent of a telephone, camera, GPS, and computer all rolled into one little box in our pockets. 

But what occurs when we consume tech without limits? We act like zombies. We literally begin to rewire and damage our brains. We have the freedom to access all the information in the world, but careless consumption without limits will burn us, just like an unlimited and unhindered fire would. 

What about a refusal to place limits around your time? It might feel like freedom to say yes to everything…until it comes time to actually act upon those yeses. Saying no is a form of limitation in the moment, but it offers so much freedom down the road. 

Living life without limitations or boundaries isn’t a free life. It’s a busy, harried life. It’s a life of survival, not thriving. It’s a life that lacks the intentionality it takes to point in a direction and arrive there. 

Limitations don’t just protect our freedom – they offer us freedom. We are not God. We are creatures with limits. It’s time we lived like it.