What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries
Are you feeling stretched to your limits and wish those limits weren't there at all? Bestselling author Sara Hagerty "What if your greatest weaknesses--the areas of your life you resent the most, the places where you feel the most overextended and unfulfilled--are your doorway to rich intimacy with God? What if your limitations were, in fact, your greatest gift?"
It's all too much. Too much laundry and too many bills. Too many appointments, meetings, and open tabs on our browser. Yet in the midst of so much, we feel deprived. Limited. We make another family dinner while shelving our passion for art. We tend our tiny patch of grass while envying the time our neighbor has to garden. We go to bed exhausted, too tired to enjoy a few minutes with our own thoughts.
As a writer, speaker, and mother of seven, Sara Hagerty knows what limitations feel like. Yet she has also seen how the boundaries of our life circumstances can bring about growth and satisfaction we'd never experience otherwise. With the poetic voice, gentle validation, and deep spiritual insights that have made Sara's books so popular, The Gift of Limitations explores how
Name the limitations that haunt us and how we have unknowingly given them powerOpen our eyes to what God can do with the weaknesses we resentDiscover what God's Word says about living within our limitationsUnderstand what embracing our limits looks like in everyday lifeRecognize when we are pushing ourselves too farUnderstand how God sees weakness and how He has used it in the lives of great believersDream again while remaining tethered to God's best story for usRelease the shame and frustration of our weaknesses
In The Gift of Limitations, you will learn to see the beauty and peace God provides in the midst of our life circumstances--and the deep spiritual growth we can experience through the limitations that we once thought held us back.
It's all too much. Too much laundry and too many bills. Too many appointments, meetings, and open tabs on our browser. Yet in the midst of so much, we feel deprived. Limited. We make another family dinner while shelving our passion for art. We tend our tiny patch of grass while envying the time our neighbor has to garden. We go to bed exhausted, too tired to enjoy a few minutes with our own thoughts.
As a writer, speaker, and mother of seven, Sara Hagerty knows what limitations feel like. Yet she has also seen how the boundaries of our life circumstances can bring about growth and satisfaction we'd never experience otherwise. With the poetic voice, gentle validation, and deep spiritual insights that have made Sara's books so popular, The Gift of Limitations explores how
Name the limitations that haunt us and how we have unknowingly given them powerOpen our eyes to what God can do with the weaknesses we resentDiscover what God's Word says about living within our limitationsUnderstand what embracing our limits looks like in everyday lifeRecognize when we are pushing ourselves too farUnderstand how God sees weakness and how He has used it in the lives of great believersDream again while remaining tethered to God's best story for usRelease the shame and frustration of our weaknesses
In The Gift of Limitations, you will learn to see the beauty and peace God provides in the midst of our life circumstances--and the deep spiritual growth we can experience through the limitations that we once thought held us back.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2024
144 people are currently reading
1784 people want to read
About the author
Sara Hagerty
8 books357 followersSara Hagerty is a lover of words, a student of God and His Word, a wife to the man she married first and fell deliriously in love with about ten years later (it’s true), and a mom of seven (gulp). She is a Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and has written several books – her most recent being The Gift of Limitations, released via Zondervan in March of 2024.
Long before she was a writer, Sara was a reader. She spent childhood afternoons with her bony frame folded up in the corner swivel chair of her parents’ sunroom, lost in the pages of a story.
Other than in the pages of a book, her favorite place to write is on substack – it’s a quieter, more focused place for her to craft words about her reach for God and to invite readers into that strange nexus of raw honesty and wonder.
Though writing and reading are both her passions, she clocks most of her time with the people under her roof and those within her five-mile radius. She’s graduated several of her children, and yet she’s still teaching her little ones to write letters and tie shoes. Every day at 10 am, she’s tromping through the woods that line her home with those of her kids still 10 and under. Life surely hasn’t been what she expected, and she writes about finding Him amid the chaos, the pain, and the beauty of those surprises.
Connect with Sara on:
Substack (where she writes the most)
SaraHagerty.net
Facebook
Instagram
Long before she was a writer, Sara was a reader. She spent childhood afternoons with her bony frame folded up in the corner swivel chair of her parents’ sunroom, lost in the pages of a story.
Other than in the pages of a book, her favorite place to write is on substack – it’s a quieter, more focused place for her to craft words about her reach for God and to invite readers into that strange nexus of raw honesty and wonder.
Though writing and reading are both her passions, she clocks most of her time with the people under her roof and those within her five-mile radius. She’s graduated several of her children, and yet she’s still teaching her little ones to write letters and tie shoes. Every day at 10 am, she’s tromping through the woods that line her home with those of her kids still 10 and under. Life surely hasn’t been what she expected, and she writes about finding Him amid the chaos, the pain, and the beauty of those surprises.
Connect with Sara on:
Substack (where she writes the most)
SaraHagerty.net
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
July 12, 2024
I think this author and I are kindred spirits and that’s really all it comes down to. I read this so slowly because I needed to soak up literally all of it. If you’re someone who constantly feels like you’re doing too much but never enough, then this book is for you. So real and honest and profound and tough but so freeing.
August 21, 2024
I really wanted to like this book but kept finding myself wishing that I was re-reading “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” The chapter on grief was the only redeeming quality for me.
Her prose felt so long-winded, flowery, and whimsical that I had trouble staying engaged. Maybe I’m the problem and I need to read this in 15 yrs when I have kids. Or maybe I need to better engage my inner Anne Shirley to learn to romanticize life the way that Hagerty does. Either way, I think John Mark Comer gets the same point across in a more concise and entertaining way.
Her prose felt so long-winded, flowery, and whimsical that I had trouble staying engaged. Maybe I’m the problem and I need to read this in 15 yrs when I have kids. Or maybe I need to better engage my inner Anne Shirley to learn to romanticize life the way that Hagerty does. Either way, I think John Mark Comer gets the same point across in a more concise and entertaining way.
March 14, 2024
This book was perfect for my season right now. A wonderful and encouraging look at the overwhelm of life- when there are so many/too many needs around you...and you feel so limited (and really are so limited) and weary. It challenges and points you to Christ and His Word!
November 18, 2024
Endlessly encouraging. Sara is a wordsmith, and the pictures she paints of an abundant life within God’s fence lines for each of us had me captivated. This one is a balm to a weary heart!
May 5, 2024
As a fellow mom of 7 I feel my limitations and boundaries so keenly. I felt her struggle as she tried to lean into her limits instead of chafing against them. I'd love to pick up the print copy and go through it again more slowly.
January 2, 2026
I think I am lazy and want a really easy to digest read (since I read mostly at night).
Her writing is so beautiful and deep that it isn't an easy read, but the principle behind the title is one I have needed to read for a while with my heart always leaning towards performance, wondering what's next, and questioning why I can't do something someone else can. Do I enjoy my limits? Do I see them as gifts or roadblocks? Good content.
Her writing is so beautiful and deep that it isn't an easy read, but the principle behind the title is one I have needed to read for a while with my heart always leaning towards performance, wondering what's next, and questioning why I can't do something someone else can. Do I enjoy my limits? Do I see them as gifts or roadblocks? Good content.
September 29, 2024
I appreciated the exploration of limits and boundaries in our life with God. The author’s writing was beautiful and thought-provoking, it just didn’t land super practically for me.
March 9, 2024
I love the central message of the book - that God as our good Father sovereignly places boundaries and “fence lines” around us. These are expressions of His love for us and not - as we are so prone to believe - examples of Him withholding what is good from us. I appreciated her explanations about spiritual growth being small and incremental and slow and even sometimes “circular.” Also beautiful were the reminders about God using our fence lines to teach us more about Himself …. We aren’t necessarily to view them as hurdles to overcome in the way many prosperity preachers might suggest.
Really liked the message, but I don’t think her prose is for me. It’s my first book by this author. Sometimes I would get lost in her flowery sentences and forget the main idea.
Really liked the message, but I don’t think her prose is for me. It’s my first book by this author. Sometimes I would get lost in her flowery sentences and forget the main idea.
May 22, 2025
I appreciated a lot of things about this book. I felt sometimes it was a little too abstract for me to connect with and overall felt it could have used a few more tangible details to connect the dots and make it more relatable, but overall a good and encouraging read.
February 20, 2025
Sometimes this was 3 stars, sometimes 4, and sometimes 5. So I'll settle for 4.
I liked that she did her own narration of her book. I could feel her passion for her message. I can always appreciate that. It makes such a difference when there is real enthusiasm in the narration.
The author certainly has a flair with words....sometimes though, it felt overly wordy. This, for me, was distracting. I felt I had to sift through the words to extract something meaningful. Thankfully the search was not fruitless. There were some interesting ideas that have given me plenty of food for thought. I enjoy kicking these ideas around to extract what I can.
I liked that she did her own narration of her book. I could feel her passion for her message. I can always appreciate that. It makes such a difference when there is real enthusiasm in the narration.
The author certainly has a flair with words....sometimes though, it felt overly wordy. This, for me, was distracting. I felt I had to sift through the words to extract something meaningful. Thankfully the search was not fruitless. There were some interesting ideas that have given me plenty of food for thought. I enjoy kicking these ideas around to extract what I can.
August 11, 2024
I LOVE Sarah & her writing - it's so different than most other books in this category that i've read. I also really relate to her story - infertility, adoption, then having babies. I have loved her adoration prompts / practices for years. and this book on limitations came at the right time - when I finally accepted that I have limits 😂
some of the one liners I wrote down in my notes
surrender to the stories he has written for our lives
surrendering to the limited life we've been given
the goal is God, not growth
alive inside the story god has for me
god is a dream maker
loved listening to Sarah's voice & will for sure return to it!
some of the one liners I wrote down in my notes
surrender to the stories he has written for our lives
surrendering to the limited life we've been given
the goal is God, not growth
alive inside the story god has for me
god is a dream maker
loved listening to Sarah's voice & will for sure return to it!
July 27, 2024
Absolutely wonderful. A rich and reflective book that is honest about limits and pain and also delights in the love and providential care of God. It was a balm to my heart this summer. Worth re-reading.
August 15, 2024
Basically Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 in flesh and bone; a long journal entry of embracing (and rejoicing in) the Lord’s story and surrendering her own.
Because of this book I have written on my bathroom mirror:
Stop. Observe. Notice.
See the Lord’s goodness in everything.
Because of this book I have written on my bathroom mirror:
Stop. Observe. Notice.
See the Lord’s goodness in everything.
January 7, 2025
Poetic yet practical, this book both convicted and nurtured me.
January 14, 2025
I have a hard time giving a bad review to a book that someone poured their heart into, but I really did not like this book. Despite also being a mid 40’s Christian woman with a large family, I found this book completely unrelatable. I’m glad that the author has worked through so much to be at peace within her boundaries but it seemed like such a self focused book. God was given the glory for the work He did in her but, somehow, that didn’t seem to be the point of the book. Maybe it was supposed to encourage others who needed to feel God’s love despite their discontentment with the life He has blessed them with. I don’t know. I just know this book was not for me. I endured to the end in hopes I would have a spark of connection or encouragement but it never came. I suppose it’s just not a book for people who already see their life as a gift despite its challenges but rather for those who see life as a challenge despite its gifts.
March 11, 2024
Sara’s personal narrative linked with Scripture led me to my own fence line and opened the eyes of my mind and heart to a deeper trust in a good God who hems me in, behind and before. “The fence line has a purpose. It’s not to be hurdled but to define the place within which we live out the story He has given us.”
April 10, 2024
Beautiful book on the boundaries given to us by God. The author doesn’t breeze past the hurt, but invites us to lament while reminding us how much God loves us.
I would recommend if your life feels like too much but also not enough. 🩷
I would recommend if your life feels like too much but also not enough. 🩷
December 2, 2024
The book started off SUPER thought provoking and convicting. About half way through I felt the author was saying the same things in different ways. The practical application points often got lost in the prose. Still a book that I will probably be returning to often.
Thoughts to copy into my reading journal:
Limits keep us in the moment
Daydreaming might be the catalyst for forced manipulation of circumstances. Are we daydreaming about what is beyond our limits?
Watching your time spits and ignoring your body can lead to heatstroke.
What prize are we actually pressing towards? Is it just to make us feel better about ourselves?
Try being curious about our limits instead of bitter about them?
Missing the wonder in front of me for the promise of something different elsewhere
The limits of Eden. Eve tried to shortcut. That tree WAS fruitful. But the fruit was outside her limits. Not meant for her.
Growth isn’t always upward and onward
Sheer will isn’t enough to defy limits
“My story is part of a much larger story that I did not choose. I was assigned a role for which I did not audition. Yet I have the power to choose how I will live out that story and play that role” Jerry Sittser
What we want to erase and move past and overcome, God often wants to walk through with us.
Be honest with the pain of boundaries. Don’t try to christianize it or sugar coat it. Cry out to God like the psalmist.
We don’t learn something in hard times; we unlearn things.
We struggle to imagine a life where God offers us exceedingly abundantly all that we ask or imagine, but also says no. This paradox confound us. That he would answer no to the loudest cries of our hearts and yet open heaven to release blessings that we couldn’t possibly conceive snaps the caution tape we put around our lives… the paradox of God is that within the boundaries we resent there is a life that is limitless in him.
The grief became less something i fought or even endured and more something I welcomed like you might a friend as a houseguest: not wanting them to remain forever or creating a lifestyle around them but acknowledging that, for a time, there are gifts to be had by hosting them.
Thoughts to copy into my reading journal:
Limits keep us in the moment
Daydreaming might be the catalyst for forced manipulation of circumstances. Are we daydreaming about what is beyond our limits?
Watching your time spits and ignoring your body can lead to heatstroke.
What prize are we actually pressing towards? Is it just to make us feel better about ourselves?
Try being curious about our limits instead of bitter about them?
Missing the wonder in front of me for the promise of something different elsewhere
The limits of Eden. Eve tried to shortcut. That tree WAS fruitful. But the fruit was outside her limits. Not meant for her.
Growth isn’t always upward and onward
Sheer will isn’t enough to defy limits
“My story is part of a much larger story that I did not choose. I was assigned a role for which I did not audition. Yet I have the power to choose how I will live out that story and play that role” Jerry Sittser
What we want to erase and move past and overcome, God often wants to walk through with us.
Be honest with the pain of boundaries. Don’t try to christianize it or sugar coat it. Cry out to God like the psalmist.
We don’t learn something in hard times; we unlearn things.
We struggle to imagine a life where God offers us exceedingly abundantly all that we ask or imagine, but also says no. This paradox confound us. That he would answer no to the loudest cries of our hearts and yet open heaven to release blessings that we couldn’t possibly conceive snaps the caution tape we put around our lives… the paradox of God is that within the boundaries we resent there is a life that is limitless in him.
The grief became less something i fought or even endured and more something I welcomed like you might a friend as a houseguest: not wanting them to remain forever or creating a lifestyle around them but acknowledging that, for a time, there are gifts to be had by hosting them.
November 6, 2024
“The limitations God gives us can feel punitive and disruptive, out of time and deaf to our dreams, or they can feel light and caring, needed and deeply refreshing. He knows best. Even when he asks and allows the grand laying down, the great death of some of our greatest dreams, He knows best.”
I loved this book. I listened on audio but want to buy a physical copy now too! Such an encouraging message about how the limits God gives us are good and for His glory.
I loved this book. I listened on audio but want to buy a physical copy now too! Such an encouraging message about how the limits God gives us are good and for His glory.
March 4, 2025
No matter if your road block in life is the loss of a loved one, a broken dryer, or illness there is something for you here. I loved the audiobook because it is read by the author and she beautifully models how to turn our honest emotions into worshipful prayers to God. Read it at the start of a new season or smack dab in the middle. I plan to read it again when I’m feeling particularly “limited.”
October 27, 2024
I agree with another reviewer: this author's prose is long-winded, flowery, and whimsical. This might be a huge plus for some readers, but I found it cumbersome. She had some good things to say, but this could have been an essay. I really like the idea of this book more than the book itself. If you love Ann Voskamp, you might really like this book!
June 21, 2024
Sara Hagerty is one of my favorite authors. She has such a beautiful way with words. Her thoughtful writing in this one touched my heart and has encouraged me to dig deeper with the Father in my limitations. What a gift!
May 28, 2024
This book has been such an encouragement and challenge. Highly recommend for anyone feeling the limits of their season with littles or their capacity changing due to health constraints.
May 30, 2024
Wow... this book was spot on for me in my stage of life. Will be returning for a re-read. Absolutely recommend.
June 30, 2024
This was such a timely read for me as I prepare to welcome my third baby in the next few days. I know I will be meditating on the truths I gleaned from this book for quite some time.
July 3, 2024
Excellent book on understanding the need to rest in what God has for you and how to be honest with Him when you’re frustrated by the fence line. 4.5 stars because while her metaphors were helpful, I found the descriptions tedious by the end.
December 21, 2024
Listened as an audiobook and already want to break out my physical copy for a reread to underline and highlight it all.
May 20, 2025
I found a few small sections really relatable and easy to read but for the most part I agree with a few other reviews that describe the writing as poetic and "flowery" making most of it feel difficult to read and hard to relate to.
December 15, 2025
A slow read, being called out on every page. And realizing how God is in control and is shifting my life (giving me limitations) for a reason. And trying to learn to settle into these new limitations.
January 14, 2026
Loved this one so much I bought my own copy. Beautiful journey through Psalm 16.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews