Have you ever found that you can’t do something simple? Or, more accurately, that you can’t bring yourself to do it consistently? As I look back over my life, I can see simple things that, at one time or another, I couldn’t do.

There were times I worked multiple jobs and couldn’t keep up with my laundry. I would let it pile up, too busy to worry about it. Then once I ran out of essentials (read underwear), I would begrudgingly work through the pile, spending an entire Saturday on it (my only day off at the time).

The same was true for vacuuming. I know this sounds weird, but there were years of my adult life when I didn’t touch our vacuum because I was too busy, too tired, or both. I couldn’t do it, and because I couldn’t do it, other people, like my wife, had to take care of it.

Even today, I have a mental block toward some things. I find it easy to create marketing content for my company’s social media accounts. But if I’m the one that needs to schedule it to post on social, it won’t get done. I can’t tell you why; it’s a simple task that probably takes 15 minutes, but I won’t do it.

There are just some things we can’t do. Either we aren’t wired for them, or we don’t have time for them, or we are just too exhausted. It’s true for all of us. And this is where the magic is.

Recognizing that sometimes there are just things we can’t do gives us an opportunity for grace. We can give ourselves grace for falling short on a simple task like keeping up with laundry. But, more importantly, we can have grace for others, like my kid, that can’t keep clothes off the floor.

What is simple and easy for one person is not always simple and easy for another. And, what you can’t do today, might be something you can do tomorrow. Today, I keep up with my laundry like a champ; I may even wash my clothes a little too often. I also find vacuuming relaxing and a great opportunity to listen to an audiobook or podcast.

There are still lots of things I can’t do, and if you think about it, there are lots of things you can’t do too. We are limited, and that’s ok. That’s why we have grace.