One of the harsh realities of life is that we live in a world of limitations.

The truth of the matter

is that as long as we live as human beings we will be faced with this reality. When a baby is
born into this world, even though, it is not aware of it, the truth is, it has entered into this reality
where it will face limitations day by day; thats just part of what it means to be a human being.
The greatest apparent limitation is that imposed by limited resources; the world, and nature as we
know it, has limited resources available, and this is one of the greatest imposers of limitations on
humanity as a race. We are involved in a rat race, and struggle to survive each day, because of
the fact that natures resources are limited, and we, as human beings that have to depend on these
limited resources, are in a constant competition with one another for them. Herein lies the source
of most of the conflict that exists in the world the constant competition between human beings
for resources that are insufficient to meet the wants of all of us.
When a child is born into the world, he is inadvertently born into the reality of limitation,
whether he likes it or not. He will be faced with the problem of how to fulfill his potential
inspite of limitations imposed by nature and by society. If he is born into a family with limited
means, he may not be able to get a good education or other necessities that are necessary for him
to fulfill his true potential. The talent inherent in an individual is only one factor in the equation
of what that human being is going to become or how successful he will be; another very
important factor are the limitations that exist in the family he is born into, the society of which he
is a part, the region of the world in which he finds himself, and the genes he inherits from his
ancestors, which can either give him an advantage or a disadvantage. So we as humanity try our
best to make a living within the limitations that we find ourselves, not knowing the future or
what it holds, trying to eke out a living as best we can, in competition with billions of other
people on a planet with limited and dwindling resources.
Limitations that we face as human beings can be categorized in many ways; I would like to
categorize them as the probable, improbable, possible, and impossible. The probable
limitations are those limitations that can likely be overcome by persistence, determination and
hardwork. These are limitations that do not seem insurmountable but which we accept in our
daily lives as simply a reality of the world in which we live, and which we overcome day by day
in various ways by our effort and ingenuity. Such limitations generally do not give us too much
cause for concern because we are optimistic that given sufficient time and effort, we will
surmount them. The improbable are those limitations that oftentimes seem insurmountable,
although can possibly be overcome. They cause us distress because we long for the day when
we can overcome them, but sometimes feel powerless against them. The possible consist of
both the probable and improbable limitations. They are limitations for which there is a
glimmer of hope, no matter how faint, that they can possibly be overcome. The impossible
limitations are those for which there appears to be no hope at all of overcoming. Such
limitations include terminal diseases for which there is no cure; they are the limitations that
cause the most distress and feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.
I would like to use a biblical character called Abraham to expound more on these types of
limitations. Abraham was a man in biblical times whose wife Sarah was childless. Obviously, at
the initial stage, her childlessness might have seemed like a probable and possible limitation,
because given sufficient time, it was likely she would conceive and have children, at least this
would be the view at the early stages of marriage. However, as time went on, the limitation may

not have been viewed as a probable limitation, simply possible since the more time passed,
hope would have become dimmer. However, it was still possible because she had not passed the
age of childbearing. The situation became different when she passed menopause, because the
limitation had now become an impossible limitation, as it is impossible for a woman in
menopause to give birth. So by the time Sarah had reached menopause, it would have seemed
that all hope was lost. However, Abraham held on to hope because of a promise; a promise
from whom? you might ask. A promise from God. Now we live as limited beings in a world of
limitations because all created beings are limited; God however is limitless in power and
personality. He is infinite, and so is not limited by limitations.
From the realm of eternity, God observes us, in our limited world, going about our business as
best we can, faced by the frustrations and struggles of life. And it was from this eternal realm
that God gave Abraham a promise; His promise was that Abraham, who faced an impossible
limitation, would receive a miracle child. And God fulfilled that promise in the fullness of time.
God, in his infinite and limitless power, made the impossible possible for Abraham, because
Abraham was his friend. God, who was Abrahams friend, desires to be a friend to every human
being on this planet, struggling with limitations. He wants to help us overcome our limitations.
If we turn to him, we can find strength, hope and help when faced with odds and
overwhelmingly limitations. The truth is that human life will never be devoid of trials and
limitations because we live in a natural world, not a supernatural world. The nature of this world
in itself imposes limitations on us. And yet God is willing to reach out his hands from his
supernatural realm of eternity to help us. If we turn to God in our deepest hearts, speak to him
and ask him to be our friend, he will hear us because he hears everything due to his limitless
nature. Then when we can receive help to face our life, full of limitations, and when this limited
life is over, we can receive a limitless life everlasting, with God in eternity.