Know Your Limits
Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. (Exodus 18:17-18)
Have you ever been riding in the car with someone, and it was clear that they were lost, but they wouldn’t pull over and ask for directions because they didn’t want to admit they didn’t know where they were going? That’s a frustrating place to be right? If the person would just ask for help, you’d get where you were supposed to be going much more quickly and efficiently.
Well, it might be easy to point the finger at that person and wonder why they don’t ask for help, but if we think about, there are areas of our lives we don’t ask for help because we are too stubborn or proud to do so. We reach our limit but we’re afraid to admit we can’t do everything, so we run ourselves into the ground trying to prove we can handle things when in reality, we’re drowning.
Please hear me. It’s okay to ask for help. It's okay to say “no” to people every now and then. It’s okay to say I’d love to, but I can’t right now. It’s okay to admit to yourself and others that you don’t have the capacity to do it all yourself. I know you’re smart. I know you’re educated. I know you have a fancy job with a big title, but it’s okay to admit that you’ve reached your limit.
Moses had to understand that. He was leading two million people in Numbers chapter 11 and Exodus chapter 18, and he got overwhelmed and stressed out. He said, “I can’t carry all these people by myself.” He got overwhelmed because he bought into the myth of invincibility; and as he sat there in Exodus 18:14, he tried to answer every problem the people brought to him. He tried to solve every issue they had. But one day, his father-in-law Jethro came up to him and said, “What you are doing is not good. You are going to wear yourself out for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” And essentially Jethro told him he needed to get some help.
There are times when we all need to take Jethro’s advice. We need to learn to ask for help when we need it, understanding that humility and knowing your limits is not weakness. So, what do you need help with? What do you need a break from? What boundaries do you need to set? My hope is that you’ll take the time today to think through these questions and take the necessary steps to get the help and assistance you need so you no longer have to walk through life burdened and overwhelmed.
Have you ever been riding in the car with someone, and it was clear that they were lost, but they wouldn’t pull over and ask for directions because they didn’t want to admit they didn’t know where they were going? That’s a frustrating place to be right? If the person would just ask for help, you’d get where you were supposed to be going much more quickly and efficiently.
Well, it might be easy to point the finger at that person and wonder why they don’t ask for help, but if we think about, there are areas of our lives we don’t ask for help because we are too stubborn or proud to do so. We reach our limit but we’re afraid to admit we can’t do everything, so we run ourselves into the ground trying to prove we can handle things when in reality, we’re drowning.
Please hear me. It’s okay to ask for help. It's okay to say “no” to people every now and then. It’s okay to say I’d love to, but I can’t right now. It’s okay to admit to yourself and others that you don’t have the capacity to do it all yourself. I know you’re smart. I know you’re educated. I know you have a fancy job with a big title, but it’s okay to admit that you’ve reached your limit.
Moses had to understand that. He was leading two million people in Numbers chapter 11 and Exodus chapter 18, and he got overwhelmed and stressed out. He said, “I can’t carry all these people by myself.” He got overwhelmed because he bought into the myth of invincibility; and as he sat there in Exodus 18:14, he tried to answer every problem the people brought to him. He tried to solve every issue they had. But one day, his father-in-law Jethro came up to him and said, “What you are doing is not good. You are going to wear yourself out for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” And essentially Jethro told him he needed to get some help.
There are times when we all need to take Jethro’s advice. We need to learn to ask for help when we need it, understanding that humility and knowing your limits is not weakness. So, what do you need help with? What do you need a break from? What boundaries do you need to set? My hope is that you’ll take the time today to think through these questions and take the necessary steps to get the help and assistance you need so you no longer have to walk through life burdened and overwhelmed.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
When Faith Blocks the ViewThe Cost of Carrying the CrossPower Was Never the PointGod Meets You Where You AreFaith That Chooses People Over ProfitWhen the Cross Loses Its MeaningClearing the View So Christ Can Be SeenWhen Worry Becomes a Way of LifeGod Is Not Surprised by Bad LeadershipWhen God Writes on the WallGod Controls the ClockGod Is Watching the Scale
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
February
The Power of a ComebackHealing from the PastStop Blaming and Start TrustingBury the Past to Claim the FutureFacing Trauma with TruthCelebrate That You SurvivedRepair What is BrokenNothing God Can’t FixDon’t Swing at Bad PitchesStick to God’s PlanDon’t Let Desperation Drive YouShift Your WeightWho Knows Best?A Good Idea Isn’t Always a God IdeaPeace in God’s PlanFinding Purpose in God’s PlanProsperity in God’s PlanTrusting God’s Plan, Pace, and ProcessKnowing When to PivotGod Hasn’t Given Up on YouNext-Level Faith Requires PerseveranceA New Revelation of GodIt’s Not All About YouNext-Level ConnectionsNext-Level CommitmentA Prayer That Moves God
No Comments