Yes, God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle...

I know if you are anything like me you have cried out to God,

"I can't handle this anymore!  I don't know what to do!  I can't handle this!"

Right?

C'mon...admit it.

We all have.

When life becomes overwhelming, 

everything feels like it is crumbling beneath our feet, 

and our world feels like it is falling apart.

Yup.  Just like that.

It seems as if someone during these times always spouts out that tired old saying...

"God won't give you more than you can handle.."

And yes, even this mild, sweet, mama wants to reach up

and punch them in the face.

 

That phrase always always feels like rubbing glass in a wound-

it certainly isn't a comfort. 

It feels like I am not measuring up.

It causes me to ask
"If I am supposed to handle this, then why can't I handle it?"

The truth is, dear ones,

that God never said He wouldn't give us more than we can handle.

If we can handle anything that comes our way, then why do we need God at all?

We need to realize that sometimes we can't make it on our own.

Soooooo... just where did that tired, old phrase come from?

Why do so many well-meaning Christians spout it out?

The verse that they are "hinting" at is 1 Corinthians 10:13.

 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; 
but God is faithful, 
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, 
but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, 
that you may be able to bear it."

Let's be clear here.

Paul was referring to temptation, not suffering.

 Paul points out that God will never let us be tempted beyond what we are able

because He always provides us a way OUT of temptation.

When we become aware that life will give us more than we can handle

and come to grips with this,

we find a promise:

God is faithful to meet us in the mess and in the pain. 

And yes, when He meets us there in the sorrow and despair, 

we learn to recognize our constant need to depend on Him.

We can then see that we can rest in the reality that we cannot handle it,

but our Heavenly Father can.

Period.

He. is. able.

And maybe, just maybe...

it is during these times we are called to be His hands

and reach out and walk with those going through life's trials.

It is time to get real -

with ourselves,

with our brothers and sisters in Christ,

and even real with God.

We CANNOT do it alone

and we were never expected to.

Which is why He gave us each other!