Why can’t I get as much done in a day as she can?
How am I going to finish everything on my list?
I feel so behind and so guilty for being behind.

Do these thoughts sound familiar? If so, you’re not the only one. In fact, author and theologian Kelly M. Kapic just wrote an entire book on the struggle many of us have with accepting and honoring our limits.

“God made us as creatures,” Kapic says in an interview with CT. “And the good part about being a creature is we were made to be dependent upon God and, by our very design, also dependent on other people and the earth.”

Perhaps a scheduling app or wall calendar is the answer to some of our chaos. But Kapic, and Scripture itself, show us that the deeper issues are not with our time management, but with our theology. We aren’t created to get it all done on our own. We’re created to rely upon God, and to live in interdependent community with others, in order to accomplish the work God has set out for us to do.

So next time you feel overwhelmed or ashamed by the unchecked boxes on your to-do list, remind yourself that your help comes from the Lord, who often brings that help through community. And instead of beating yourself up, consider who you can ask to bear the burden with you. You may just find that next time you feel burdened with tasks, you’re quicker to ask yourself who might be able to help, rather than why you can’t get it all done on your own.