At Full Capacity (percentages, not quantity)
One plate, two plates. Small plate. Huge plate. / But which plate could possibly hold more if they're both filled to capacity?
It was a June morning and a mother and her daughter were out picking blueberries before the heat of sun made such a sweet task unbearable. While they didn't necessarily have a quota to meet, they each had determined to pick as many as they could: momma to fill her quart-sized basket and daughter her pint. Time passed and both momma's and daughter's basket were filled to the brim; neither could pick a single blueberry more.
So, whose basket was more filled?
It's a tricky question, of course, because while momma's basket held more blueberries both baskets were, in fact, equally filled.
Each basket was at 100% capacity.
The impact of this nuanced distinction of terms (percentages versus quantity) first hit me in college. I was in grad school, working, leading on a church's ministry team, and investing in meaningful relationships when I realized I just could not do it all.
I was sharing with a distant friend on how I decided to step down from my position within the ministry and she was baffled. "But why?" she asked incredulously.
I explained how the sheer number of tasks was overwhelming for me and prevented me from keeping first things first. That is, my workload was keeping me from prioritizing the people and loyalties I knew needed to be first in my attention and affections.
She still didn't get it. "But I'm in school, have two jobs, serve within two different ministries, and still have time for friendships and fun."
And that's when it became so clear.
We were both at 100% - and maybe she was only at 95% - but our capabilities (our quantities) were different. And that's okay.
You see, this friend of mine is extraordinarily gifted. She had an extraordinary GPA, her employers were thrilled with her, and I'm sure she excelled in the other less quantifiable areas in her life as well. So this isn't a discussion of quality versus quantity.
This is only and truly a conversation about one thing: someone can be maxed out and doing less than you. But that doesn't make them less than you.
And I am such a person.
And I'm okay with that.
I know that I can't commit to a ton of activities and so I don't. I know this about myself. And when I'm true to this bit of self-knowledge, when I honor and respect my own limitations, I inevitably honor and respect those around me. No, I'm not going to sign up to be a VBS volunteer and yes, you will be so thrilled that you didn't count on me to deliver something I ultimately wouldn't be able to deliver.
