At Max Capacity: Finding Peace in the Fullness

Everywhere I turn, I hear the same thing—"We’re so busy." And it’s true. Our lives are full. But here’s something I want to gently challenge today: what if this fullness isn’t something to escape, but something to understand?

Let’s go back for a minute. Think about life before motherhood. Maybe you were working, studying, dating, or newly married. Back then, didn’t you feel like you were already maxed out? You couldn’t imagine doing more. But then came kids—and suddenly, your capacity expanded. You just did it. It became your new normal.

Each new stage in life pushes us through a doorway into more: another child, a job change, a move, grief, caregiving. Each time, our capacity stretches, and we carry more than we thought we could. And yes, it’s exhausting—but it’s also incredible.

We are always living at the maximum of what we can hold in that season. That doesn’t mean peace is out of reach—it just means peace isn’t found in an empty calendar. Peace is found in presence. In God’s presence.

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
—Exodus 33:14 (NIV)

I used to wish for simpler times—the “prairie days.” But reading Little House on the Prairie to my kids now, I see it differently. Ma and Pa were also maxed out. They weren’t living in a cozy slow-motion season—they were in survival mode. Our full lives may look different, but the feeling is the same. Humans have always lived at the edge of what they can carry.

So what if peace doesn’t come from doing less… but from doing it with Him?

God doesn’t always wait until we feel ready. In fact, He often lets life stretch us beyond what we can handle on our own—so we remember that we were never meant to do it alone.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”
—2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

With Him, we find strength. With Him, we make it through the 47th “Mom!” of the day, the endless pickups, the messes, the to-do list. Not by escaping it—but by being in it with Jesus.

You’re already carrying so much. And that’s not failure—it’s faith in motion. God made you able. And where you can’t, He can.

So if today feels like too much, remember this: peace doesn’t come when the list is done. It comes while the list is still going… because He’s in it with you.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
—Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

You’ve got this, mama. Because He’s got you.