It’s writing time! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Five Minute Friday link-up.
Please be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to read an important announcement about the rest of the year here at Five Minute Friday.
This week’s FMF writing prompt is: CAPACITY
Setting my timer for five minutes and . . . GO.
It took me about forty-four years, but I think I kinda-sorta-maybe realized that I don’t have to overdo it all the time. 😉
I can say no to things.
It has taken me much longer than it should have, but I’ve come to accept that I have a certain capacity, and it doesn’t help anyone if I just keep trying to cram more and more and more into the limited time and energy that I possess.
In my household, I’m infamous for being late because I always think I have time for “just one more thing.” I can quickly unload the dishwasher before we go, I think. I can straighten my hair or take out the trash or wash this pan or wipe the counter. It’s always something.
But guess what I’ve realized?
I don’t have to do it all.
I don’t have to bake a homemade snack to take to Bible study the week it’s my turn to bring something. I can take gluten-free Oreos and it will be fine.
I don’t have to say yes to every request of my time.
I can assess my capacity and bandwidth for that day, that week, that season, and do my best to make adjustments accordingly.
Like this link-up, for example. As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’ll be traveling to Cape Town this weekend for the first time in seven years. I’ll be having surgery there and recovering in South Africa for five weeks afterwards.
And even though I will miss it for sure, I’ve made the decision that it’s better for my body to “check out” for a bit to give myself the best chance of rest and recovery during those weeks.
So . . . I’ll be posting one more time next week (October 31st), then it will be sayonara from me until 2026!
What about you? Are there things in your life you need to take a break from to honor the capacity you’ve been given?
STOP.
+++
In case you missed the announcement last week, I will be taking a medical leave from Five Minute Friday during November and December.
I will not personally be hosting the FMF link-up during those months, BUT longtime FMF community member Andrew Budek-Schmeisser graciously volunteered to keep the link-up going on his site while I’m away.
If you’d like to keep your writing habit going in November and December, head over to Andrew’s site at the usual link-up times:
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com
Please note: I will not be sending the usual weekly writing prompt emails during this period or posting the prompts on social media.
Thanks in advance to Andrew for his time and offer!
Here’s a snapshot of what’s to come:
October 31st: Final FMF link-up here for 2025
November: Go to Andrew Budek-Schmeisser’s site to participate
December: Go to Andrew Budek-Schmeisser’s site to participate
January 9th: First FMF link-up of 2026 on this site
Thank you in advance for your grace and understanding!
+++
Join us with your own five-minute freewrite on the prompt, CAPACITY, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment:
Kate, first, know you’ll be in all our prayers through the coming months…with a bit of envy, too…spring coming summer in Cape Town!
I’m so honoured to have the opportunity to host the linkup for this time! And a little scared!
Details are in the blog post linked above, but briefly…
Posts will go live on Thursday nights at 8pm Mountain Time.
I’ll announce them on X (@BudekSchmeisser) and Facebook (Andrew Budek). Or, if you’d care to subscribe to my blog… I’d be thrilled… you’ll get email notifications.
I am not nearly the writer Kate is, so I’ll do things a little differently on my end. For each prompt I’ll give myself five minutes to find a good quote on the prompt and offer that as my contribution. I’ll post poems on my home site; because this is about holding the place for Kate’s return, and about giving you guys the chance to do your usual Five Minute Friday writing in community. It’s not about me. I’m the doorman, so to speak.
I really hope you’ll join me.
And now to capacity… I have to run at full capacity these days, to survive. I’m not what I used to be, so every usable moment has to be fully used up, wring out. I can only take forced ‘down time’; it’s something I can no longer choose. But there is a sweetness in coming to the end of the day completely spent, dragging myself across that finish line, knowing I did my best with the time remaining.
Thank you for taking on this space and filling in the gap the capacity is overflowing with your giving or time!
Capacity-
God has a different idea or that word than we do. He is outside of time and space. Waiting on Him. Resting on Him. Surrendering to Him. These all give us God’s capacity to do God sized work. But… alas. We are NOT God. When we try to do “God” without Him, the water turns into mud and not wine. Everywhere you turn, even in the “church,” you find solutions and opportunities to increase capacity. But at the end of the day, there is only one solution – James 4:10 When you bow down before Him and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor. Oh Lord I confess I do not want to be dependent! I also want to do one more thing, one more task, one more… I can’t. It isn’t working. And I don’t know how to bow. I want to do it myself. Lord Jesus come. Move in power. Work in me what pleases you. In jesus name amen
Bless you Kate. I pray that you embrace and enjoy this Sabbath Rest and learn to lean on Him and His unforced rhythms of grace.
Thank you Andrew for stepping in to keep us together.
I appreciate you Kate and Andrew for who you are and what you do.
Be blessed.
I appreciate this community of FMF writers and readers too.