Lauren Delgado, GFC Temple Terrace 

Have you ever stood in front of a closet or a pile of dirty clothes or dishes and thought… “something has to be done about this”, but then blinked and you were on the couch snacking while binge watching your favorite show. Maybe it’s just me…

Recently, as we are expecting our third child, I have found myself wanting to do so much more than what I can actually physically accomplish. I want to organize the front closet and fold those three baskets of laundry. I want to water my plants and take out the trash, but I just can’t right now. I want to read my bible, complete that leadership book, and reach out to that friend I’ve been missing. However, for some reason, unknown to me, I just can’t. Why is it that even though our intentions can be so good and the “want” is there that the “can’t” pulls us back down? If needed, I could find an excuse for just about anything, especially at almost 7 months pregnant. The best part is, my husband, friends, and family would even validate that excuse for me.


How many times have we done the same thing to God? He’s not as willing to validate our “can’t” as our family and friends would be.

My “can’t” to God usually comes in the early morning, when I know I should wake up to complete that much needed devotional, but I just need 15 more minutes, so I can’t. My “can’t” usually comes when that small voice asks me to take that step in faith, but it seems daunting so I “can’t”. As someone who likes things to be as close to perfect as they can be, I often trip myself up with these “can’ts”. I put high expectations on myself and often am letting myself down. But who is calling me or you to perfection? God simply calls us to action and it can look different for each of us. My action step could be to reach out to that friend about sitting with me at church this weekend. Your action step could be to take that step of faith at work.

In Ephesians 3:16 it says, “I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong in spirit. He will give you that strength through his Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is a gift to us that choose to follow Jesus as our savior. When we take the time to activate this faith and lean into this strength and guidance that He provides, our “cant’s” become possibilities. For me this guiding of the Holy Spirit has been a journey as I grew up in a different church dynamic where we didn’t really acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit and as someone who wants things to be perfect, I began to lean on my own knowledge and abilities. So when a “can’t” occurred I would blame myself or situations. As an adult, I was encouraged by my husband and pastors to lean into more of this strength that comes from the Holy spirit. As I did, I rapidly began to see life with a new lens. 

As we continue in 2022, my challenge is to be so in line with what the Holy Spirit is speaking and guiding that “can’t” is not the first thing out of my mouth. I pray that as you read this today that something in you begins to stir as you see what’s possible this year through the strength of the Holy Spirit and place your “can’ts” aside.