Lori's Gonna Make You Cry

Steve Simpson

Thank God for my limitations. Not limitations in general, just mine. I tend toward grandiosity and self-importance, so thank God my imperfections show up everywhere. For example, my writing is OK, but I’m disabled when it comes to drawing. I have trouble with things like circles and straight lines. If I could write and draw, I’d be an insufferable ar-teest. I’d run around pontificating about creativity and art all the time. I also have a short temper. I calm down and see reason pretty fast, but that doesn’t help if I’ve alienated someone in three seconds. I’m smart, but I get distracted too easily and miss important details. Without all my flaws, I’d feel a little too smart and a little too cool. My dependence on God and on others wouldn’t be so obvious. 

I’m more thankful for the gifts of others than my own. I get by on the strengths of the people around me. My friends Mark and Ryan keep my impulsivity in check with their patience and self-restraint. My wife’s attention to detail catches important things that I miss. People like these help me get through life without wreaking havoc and devastation.

 Once in a while, I pull my head out of my behind and realize my gifts help other people. That’s when I enjoy them most. I use my gifts for me most of the time, but sometimes I remember God gives us gifts and limitations so we can carry each other. The temptation to stand alone is usually fleeting, vanishing in the wind of our weakness. So, yeah, I’m thankful for the many gifts God has given me. I’m just more thankful for the limitations that keep me from spoiling them