The Freedom of Knowing You Can’t Do It All

You know that feeling when two minutes feels like an eternity? You toss a frozen dinner in the microwave, watch the timer, and somehow think staring at it will make it finish faster. Or you click a website link and the little loading circle spins forever. It’s not really a long wait, but it sure feels like it.

That’s kind of how life feels lately. We rush, we multitask, we pile on expectations until our souls are buffering. We know time is short, yet we live like we have forever. Well, here's a truth that sounds simple but cuts deep: we can’t do it all...and that’s not bad news.

Rethinking Our Relationship with Time
Author Oliver Burkeman once calculated that the average lifespan equals about 4,000 weeks. Seeing all those dots on paper is sobering. We only get a finite number of Mondays, birthdays, and conversations. Our usual response? Do more, faster. But Burkeman says something freeing: “Let’s start by admitting defeat. None of this is ever going to happen… and that’s excellent news.”

That’s because the gospel doesn’t measure our worth by output. God never called us to be human doings—He called us to be human beings.

Embracing Limitations as a Gift
When life feels like a race to keep up, we start to believe our value depends on performance. Scripture tells a different story. In Genesis 3, God reminds humanity, “From dust you came and to dust you will return.” That’s not meant to discourage—it’s meant to center us.
Our limitations aren’t proof of weakness; they’re proof of design. They invite dependence.  Dependence on God and on each other. Culture preaches independence; Jesus modeled dependence. Even He said, “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees the Father doing.” When we admit we can’t do everything, we make space for the One who can.

The Real Meaning of Worship
Romans 12 paints the picture: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice… this is your true and proper worship.”
Worship isn’t confined to music or Sundays. It’s the act of saying, “God, You’re complete, and I’m not.” Transformation starts in our minds before it shows up in our habits. Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The more our thoughts align with God’s truth, the freer we become from culture’s pressure to prove ourselves.

You Are a Work in Progress
We love quick results, but spiritual growth is more Crock Pot than microwave. God shapes us slowly through the Holy Spirit... season by season, year by year. The longer you follow Jesus, the more you realize transformation takes time. And that’s okay. You are a work in progress by the Holy Spirit, not a self-improvement project, but a divine masterpiece in the making.

Finding Balance: Lament and Gratitude
We talk a lot about finding “balance,” but perfect balance doesn’t exist in a broken world. The kind of balance Scripture invites us to hold is between lament and gratitude. Lament says, “God, things aren’t right, and I need You to move.” Gratitude says, “God, thank You for what’s good even while I wait.” Both are worship. Both keep us grounded when life feels like too much or not enough.

Dependence Is the New Strength
Jesus lived counter-culturally. While the world preached independence, He modeled dependence. He didn’t push harder to prove Himself; He rested in the Father’s will.

So if you’re staring at a spinning circle in your own life right now—waiting for things to load, fighting to keep up—hear this:

• Live not as overworked human doings, but as loved human beings.
• Trade exhaustion for dependence.
• Find strength in surrender.
  

You can’t do it all. And that’s good news! Because dependence on God isn’t weakness, it’s where real life begins.

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