You Are Your Limit

“The Sky Is The Limit”

This is an everyday phrase among all people in the world today, but is it true? Obviously the phrase is saying that “there is no limit”, and when used to describe a person it means that the person has no ceiling to what they achieve.

I’ll digress from the main question of this post to explain the title of my blog. The poem about the oyster and the eagle was read at my Eagle Scout Ceremony, and although it’s all nice and fluffy for such an occasion that someone is given an award named “Eagle Scout”, this poem holds meaning in everyday life.

Think about the Eagle. 

It is given essentially nothing. It was given life from its parents, and is given air to breathe, that’s it. It has to fight for its life everyday, and struggle to find food and shelter. It has to hide its young from the environment to keep the species alive, and if something goes wrong, quitting is a death sentence.

Now think about the oyster. As it says in the poem, it is given everything from the beginning. Its home is the shell. Food flows into the oyster’s mouth on command. The oyster does not have to struggle for anything in its life, and ends up with the essentials that the eagle has to fight for everyday: food, shelter and water.  

Being the lazy people that we are, without much thought, we would say that the lifestyle of the oyster seems much easier than the life of the eagle, therefore we would want that life.

Now think of the limits of the oyster.

The oyster can never be better than the shell it lives in. It has the same home everyday. The oyster has no choice of what it eats, just whatever flows into its mouth. It sees the same things everyday. The eagle determines where it lives. If has enough “want to”, it can find the highest point on a mountain and build its nest there. It chooses what it sees everyday, possibly everything around it. On that highest point of the mountain, the eagle makes its watchtower and stands guard over everything around it. INCLUDING the oyster.

How does all of that apply in our lives?

We've been given the choice to determine what kind of person we are. Each and every one of us has the choice between being an oyster or an eagle.

So here I wrap the point of this post back into this, what limits does the eagle have? He can do anything he wants from his lookout atop the mountainside. When he’s bored he can take flight, and sore through the sky. A view unlike any other (A bird’s eye view, per say) with the horizon miles away. What does the oyster do when it starts to feel sedentary? It has no choice but to sit there.

You have the choice

In the lives that we live, it is a normal human desire to want recognition. Recognition socially, physically and in an educational manner. This is entirely human and normal. There are so many awards to win, so many games to win and so many people to impress. Think about the last time you were recognized publicly, didn't that feel great? What happened to the feeling a few weeks later? It disappeared just like your awards will disappear in your closet. Does winning awards make you an eagle? Does that eliminate all limits?

We can run. Some people run for fun, and some people run because their coaches tell them to, or their drill sergeant didn't like the way they made their bed. Marathon runners go to the limits of the human body. 26 miles is no walk in the park, more of a run through a city. The winner of a marathon crosses the finish line and has to sit down and recover for days before feeling 100 percent. The award looks good on the wall, but does it mean that you have no limits? A HUMAN can’t run forever, therefore there is a limit.

Emphasis on the word “Human”

There are many examples like the ones above that I could give, but I’ll save you the time and get straight to the point. The Eagle has no limits, just like Christ had no limits. He healed people, performed miracles, walked on water, and was brought back from the dead. All of these things go far beyond human limits.

Does that mean that you have to be Jesus to exceed limits? No.

A relationship with God is all that you need.

I see this in my everyday life. I've won many awards, boxes full. Done many things worthy of merit, and gone to many limits. All of the recognition from the people around me has felt great, but faded quickly.

The recognition from God never fades.

God does not recognize you for your grade point average, He doesn't recognize you for your athletic ability or secret talent. He recognizes you for your righteousness. For loving Him. I feel that recognition more and more everyday and let me tell you it feels amazing.

Does the body have limits? Yes, the flesh is sinful and deteriorates. The marathon runner feels this as he goes to the extreme to win his race. Can God not change the runner’s limits? Can the Lord, the one who created the earth, universe, stars, you and me, change and heal your body at the drop of a hat? Wouldn't this erase all of your limits? I do believe so. Many people think that the instantaneous healing of the human body is not possible.

YOU CAN SEE IT. And this is another example of how you set your own limits. Saying that it is not possible to be healed by God is limiting Him. That limits you. If you do not believe that God can do something, He won’t. This is a beautiful example of how you set your own limits.

Let’s come to the conclusion of the matter.

The only way that a person can become an eagle, is by asking God to take his limits away. The recognition you receive from just admitting that God is your Lord and that Christ died on the cross for your sins is so great, it’s stupid to not admit it.

You get to chose where your limits are. You can hold yourself to the limits of the oyster, or unleash your true potential by letting yourself be overwhelmed with the HOLY SPIRIT and find a love for God. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

 God makes you an Eagle.

Not even the "sky is the limit". 

This is how God thinks about you, His son:

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” –Matthew 3:17