I must admit, I do not like restrictions. I tend to push the limits, sometimes to my detriment, but I continue to push anyway. I grew up learning to be a survivor. In many ways, many things worked against me, but one thing that was reinforced was that I could do anything I put my mind to. So even though I fought against the negative things in my life, I struggled forward because I believed I could. As an adult, I don’t let many things get in the way of completing a task. In fact, I see restrictions as obstacles to overcome rather than barriers blocking my path.

One day, I set out to ride 350 miles by bicycle. Many have asked me if I was “nuts.” After all, how many 70-year-olds hop on a bicycle to ride 350 miles? Well, I’m one of them. Why? Because I can, and as long as I can. Now, ten years later, I can’t do what I did at 70, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to live without restrictions. 

Restrictions are real. Some are physical or health-related, while others stem from our minds. I believe our culture has produced, and continues to produce, a culture of “I can’t.” Remember the little train that could? I think of that story often, not because it was read to me, but because I read it to my children. A mountain is something to climb, not something to fear.

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” That doesn’t mean I can do anything, but it does mean I can try, and trying brings success. For my bicycle ride, I set daily goals, and as I accomplish them, I will arrive at my destination after completing 350 miles. We often live with restrictions when we focus on the result. If we break a problem into smaller increments, we will often find that the task can be accomplished. Living without restrictions means living each day within the confines of what I can do, and after a week or month of living that way, we can accomplish great tasks. Think about it.