The 56th Mile of Life

Hello, my wondering readers,

Limitations are all around us. Whether it is the food you consume or the words you speak. Limitations are the sense of control; control is the power to influence people’s behavior or direct the course of events. Limitations are meant to guide us but can also be a hindrance. Without testing limitations, are you even allowing growth? This phenomenon of transparency in 2025 got me thinking about the word “Limitations.” But on a personal self-growth level.

Growing up, somebody told each of us that we should do something. How many of you readers did the exact opposite? I can humbly admit that I did. It’s the old cause-and-effect devil advocates discussion. However, if fear of limitation prevents you from growing or progressing to the following steps, Are you not limiting yourself in the worst way possible? By limiting growth?

So, my take on it. In the bible, it says, “Matthew 19:26 – But Jesus looked at them and said, “With Man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” or what about “Genesis1:1- In the beginning, God Created the heavens and the Earth” or even “Phillippians 4:13- I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” So why are these critical? First of all, god created each of us in his likeness, so to judge someone or their ambition is also to judge what god created. To be abundant in your faith through the Lord’s guidance, are you not setting a course of greatness that god has entrusted you with? When we test limitations, are we not testing God’s strength, love, and guidance he gives to each of us?

Stop limiting yourself to the possibility of what you could do because of your capabilities. If you want to be a plumber, be a dang plumber. If you want to be a writer, be a writer. If you want to start a podcast and share your ideas with the world, do that. But don’t do it for the wrong reasons; do it because you feel passionate about it. Stop limiting yourself to other people’s expectations of who you should be and what they think you can do. You and God alone only know that journey. From personal experience, I was told I would never make it as a writer or as someone in a leadership position.

I had been judged fiercely on my past mistakes and only what I could do when they saw me. I was told my ideas were of dreamers, that I should settle, have a big picket fence, and have a family, and that I was too emotional. But the very thing that people thought I needed or what I should do was the same fuel I used to turn my dream into a reality, and honestly, like Beth, Dutton screwed other people’s opinions. Because I knew the road God had set out for me, I knew that to fight for what God wanted me to do, sacrifice would be a requirement, and so was suffering. To get to the place God had always envisioned me to be.

That’s not me standing on a podium. It was finding peace in my life, peace in my ideas, peace with who I am as a human being that he created, and flourishing abundantly in the thought of unconditional love while also accepting boundaries to protect my faith. So, I walked away from a lot, allowing me to find peace. I had to change how I thought about the world and its people, forgiving and using understanding and teaching; I had to stop limiting myself to what I had been taught most of my life and be open to new ideas and interpretations. Lastly, I had to gut the things that were hurting me, like a knife to cancer.

I do not regret my past, but I can learn from it every day and choose to be better than the day before. God and I walk hand in hand in the pastures of faith. That is living without limitations, my friends recognizing, stepping up, and creating change. However, how you go about it reflects your character during that time, not who you are. Stop limiting yourself to what god wants you to do because others may not understand, let me tell you, there are other people in the world who are headed in the same direction; you are not alone. The only thing that limits yourself is the limitations you put on your being.

Always,

56(Taylor)