Limits/Limitations

“If you can’t defeat a passion, let it take over. If you may not, but really want to, then you may.” Such people tolerate no limits, living by the principle, “Take what is yours”, and therefore any “no” is perceived as a challenge. For them the slogan, “Live without limits,” becomes not just a choice, but an ideology legitimizing selfishness…In the long run, a life without limits does not become a search for happiness, but an escape from yourself—from your responsibility, the need to choose between what is easy and what is right, and the impending harsh reality in the form of mental and physical diseases.” (Hieromonk Roman Kropotov)

“Our very embodiment reveals the contours of our severely boundaried nature. We cannot be anything we want. We cannot have everything we desire. We cannot keep up with the internet. We cannot achieve every goal we set or conquer every person just ahead of us. We cannot live like the tireless machines and sleepless screens by which so much of our lives are now enabled and measured. And when we try, it is no wonder that skin and blood, heart and soul begin to fray, to fester, to fail. I think it’s no coincidence that an age that despises limit is also the era of skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness….At the heart of the striving that decimates quiet in our lives is the voice of the snake in the garden, whispering that limit is an evil thing, a trick. Our hatred of limit is a loss of the fundamental trust that existed between human and Creator in the beginning. Satan has always been against limit and always works to make us think it is a form of divine withholding.” (Sarah Clarkson)

“St. Mary [of Egypt] met her limits. She embraced them and entered the desert. There, in years of prayer and fasting, she found, within her limits, the depth of her being and the depth of God…It is of note, I think, that the name of this saint was not made known until the day of her death, when she wrote it in the sand, leaving instructions for the Elder Zossima for her burial. She named herself, “The sinful Mary.” The limits that had been made known to her revealed her to be a saint, one who even walked on water. Such self-knowledge is also the path to knowledge of God whose service is perfect freedom.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“Where does this confidence that life isn’t meaningless come from? What is life? Until now, the young person’s thought has inclined towards a mechanical worldview—life is a collection of atoms and forces and their continuous movement and interaction; life is a causal chain of phenomena forming the whole picture of earthly and human existence. And suddenly, in this vast, limitless, and soulless mechanism, the young soul begins to feel the presence of something living, great, intelligent, and beautiful—the presence of God. Where does this feeling come from? Many circumstances can contribute to this; the main thing is that faith in your youthful infallibility has been broken and your inner inadequacy has been deeply felt. Your inner support is gone. Now you need another, stronger support. The soul stands at a crossroad. It’s in a state of unstable equilibrium. The old healing influences have lost their power over it. New forces haven’t yet taken shape in it. Every impulse, even the smallest, can have an extraordinary, decisive significance for its entire life at the moment.” (Hieroschemamonk Sergei Chetverikov)

“…there is also the experience of holy people that tells us: In God, there always exists something inexhaustibly new, unmatched and unexplored. There is a limit to everything in our world, and space also has limits, and even the most interesting book will bore you sooner or later. Yet, the Maker of the Angels, the people and the world knows no limits and so the paths of communication with God and of knowing Him are inexhaustible.” (Priest Valery Dukhanin)

“One thing is for sure, the Holy Spirit, “who is everywhere and fills all things” hates limitations. If you doubt it, just test Him, for the Lord Jesus said, “…with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)…When Jesus asked Philip where they could buy a great amount of bread, Philip started assessing the probable cost. Jesus wanted to teach him that financial resources are not the most important ones. We can limit what God does in us by assuming what is and is not possible…Once we try to explain all things we limit them, and there are no limits to God. Therefore we are to open to the possibility of God’s action in all things, at all times, but simultaneously returning to the specific sources of grace given by God." (Fr. Basil, Life Application Study Bible, John 6:5-7, Father Spyridon Baily)

“Jesus Christ, as God Incarnate, knows all things; He pursues His will and defines His own times and ways among men. The Lord remains unlimited and uncircumscribed, even during the time He lived and moved among us. No creature controls God, nor can we place limits upon Him, for He sets the boundaries for us….The doctrines that God is love and that He delights in men, are positive doctrines, not limiting doctrines. He is not less than this. What more He may be, we do not know; we know only that He must be more than we can conceive.” (Dynamis 9/28/2020, C. S. Lewis)

“ ‘But Solomon built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:..’ (Acts 7:47-48). The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands: This does not mean that God was not present in the temple. Rather, it indicates that God's presence is not limited to a specific temple, but dwells in every soul that receives Him….The circumstances of our lives never excuse us from answering the call to become radiant with the divine energies of our Lord…the only limits to our participation in the life of Christ are those that we impose on ourselves…The abundance of this grace is only limited by ourselves, as we cannot receive that which we are not willing to accept—be it for ourselves or others.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 7:47-50, Fr. Philip LeMasters, Richard Paul Evans)

“I saw a commercial recently that proclaimed, “Freedom has no limits!” It sought to capture the modern imagination with what is a patently absurd statement. Everything in creation has limits – that is the nature of created things. It is nonetheless the case that we can imagine our life without limits – a shameless existence where nothing impedes our pleasure.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“ ‘In times of material affluence, when desire is no longer constrained by limited resources, the evidence from our contemporary American experiment suggests that we humans have trouble setting limits to our instinctual craving. … There is considerable evidence suggesting that unchecked consumption fosters our social malaise, eroding our self-constraint and pulling the cultural pendulum toward excessive indulgence and greed’…In other words, abundance does not seem to satisfy, it seems to increase the craving for more. We seem to need some external reminder that enough is enough and too much is too much. Perhaps, fasting brings us more into a relationship with God than enjoying abundance.” (Peter Whybrow, Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“…one of the most essential challenges we face is to truly accept our limits. When we do this, the opportunity for personal growth and development is almost limitless. And, as we might expect, accepting our limits is not very popular. In fact, it is countercultural.” (Robert J. Wicks)

“…it is essential for us, as Christians, to be conscious of our limitations and of our dependence on the Holy Spirit that moves in the Church. If we attempt to live life on our own terms, we quickly discover how easy it is to err. This is why the wily enemy constantly invites us to operate “right in [our] own eyes (Prv 12:17).” (Dynamis 3/24/2020)

“We are afraid of that which we cannot control; so we continue to draw in the boundaries around us, to limit ourselves to what we can know and understand. Thus we lose our human calling because we do not dare to be creators, co-creators with God.” (Madeleine L'Engle)

“The calm voice at the helm says, “Make it so…” and with it, the mantra of modernity is invoked. The philosophy that governs our culture is rooted in violence, the ability to make things happen and to control the outcome. It is a deeply factual belief. We can indeed make things happen, and, in a limited way, control their outcome. But we soon discover (and have proven it time and again) that our ability to control is quite limited. Many, many unforeseeable consequences flow from every action. If I am working in a very, self-contained environment, then the illusion of total control can be maintained for a very long time. If, say, I am building a watch, my actions and their results can remain on a desktop. However, when the scale of action begins to increase, the lack of true control begins to manifest itself. Actions on the level of an entire society or culture are beyond our ability to manage.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“...we must be mindful of our limitations. Some strive to pray and fast beyond their ability, which often leads them to giving up and losing hope. Being too austere can be just as detrimental to our spiritual life as being too lax…As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our limitations not only help develop Christian character but also deepen our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God’s strength.” (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou, Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 12:9)

#RobertJWicks #Dynamis #MadeleineLEngle #FatherStephenFreeman #ArchimandriteVassiliosPapavassiliou #LifeApplicationStudyBible #FatherSpyridonBaily #Dynamis #CSLewis #OrthodoxStudyBible #FrPhilipLeMasters #RichardPaulEvans #PeterWhybrow #FrTedBobosh #HieromonkRomanKropotov #SarahClarkson #HieroschemamonkSergeiChetverikov #PriestValeryDukhanin