The Blessing of Limits

By a raise of hands, how many of you think having limits in life is a blessing? Living in America, there is a pride in our freedom. We should do whatever we want, whenever we want. Having limits can restrict our freedom and creativity. But what if they don't? What if limits are the just the starting point to our freedom and creativity?

Imagine you are an artist and someone comes asking you to paint a picture of a sunrise on a beach. They want the painting to have a few birds and clouds in the sky, and they want the waves to be gently rolling onto the beach. Other than those few things you have creative freedom to do what you want.

Now imagine you are that same artist and someone comes to you asking you to create them a piece of art for their home. That's it. It can be whatever you want. 

Of those two scenarios, which one is more freeing as an artist? The second scenario has zero limitations to it but can rob you of your creative freedom. Does the person want a sculpture for their foyer? A painting over the mantle? Maybe they want a drawing to frame and put on the shelf. It is difficult to know where to even start! The first scenario, on the other hand, limits you but can be freeing as an artist. You know the few limits they have put on you and from there you can push the boundaries a little further. Maybe a pier to the side of the painting frames the scene well, or a boat on the horizon will tie everything together.

I know the story above is pretty cheesy, and I'm sure there are those which would prefer to be the second artist, but the fact remains that there are limitations all around us. We can view them as the limits of our boundaries, or just the launching point. Would the smartphone have been created if we weren't first limited to the flip phones in our pockets? Would the automobile come about if someone wasn't first limited by the horses they had to care for? 

We can view the limits we encounter as the end of the road, or we can view them as just the beginning. Without limits, however, we don't know what we need to push beyond. We don't know what we are solving for. Limits, although restricting, are such a blessing which lead to even more freedom!