As Christians we struggle with the limits of our bodies and the crushing weight of the world’s expectations on us. We live in a fallen world. Sin has affected everything from our heads to our hearts, from our body chemistry to sociopolitical dynamics. Because of this we sometimes wrongly attribute all our problems to sin, when in fact they are often a matter of running up against the limits inherent in being finite creatures instead of God.

This book starts stating: “Many of us fail to understand that our limitations are a gift from God, and therefore good. This produces in us the burden of trying to be something we are not and cannot be.” With this starting point, I enjoyed digging deeper into this idea of being finite by reading short chapters looking at the limits of our bodies. The book is divided into two sections: Particularity and Limits and Healthy Dependence.  Firstly, it looks at the failings of our bodies and how to helpfully view them through a Christian lens.  Secondly, it looks at how our limitations can direct us to turn to God and rest in him rather than trying to do it all.

What a great comfort and encouragement this book was to me.  You will read this book nodding your head along and agreeing that this is how my life feels. Kapic has really grasped the struggles of day-to-day life in the pages of this book. It challenged me, as a Christian woman who struggles to juggle all the moving parts of life, to consider that my limitations are not something to fight against. It encouraged me that my limitations free me to be humble, accepting I’m a finite creature and a rebellious sinner who depends on my creator, and so can freely worship him without worrying about the world’s standards. It also helped me to think anew about anxiety and some of the challenges of our bodies as a child of God.

“Our lives have a definite shape as well as definite limits. We go through seasons, we are not self-sufficient, we depend on God for relief and provision, and we grow weary. A faithful life embraces its rhythms, recognizes its vulnerability, expresses both lament and gratitude, and rest in confidence in our faithful God.”

To coincide with our annual conference, EQUIP Picks are 10 great reads, chosen and reviewed by the EQUIP Women Team for women.

EQUIP22 Picks will be available for a limited time online via our ministry partner, Reformers Bookshop.

A percentage of the sales from books bought via the above link will support our CMS missionary, M.

Meet Amy Sneddon

Amy is wife and mum, who along with James and their three boys serve in God in Jannali. She is a high school Technology and Applied Studies teacher, who in her spare time enjoys a range of crafty activities, along with enjoying God’s wonderful creation in the Shire.