You may have heard the phrase “God will never give you more than you can handle” growing up in church. It sounds wonderful and I’ve rehearsed it many times while going through the ringer. I have written it inside the covers of journals during youth camps, and relayed it to my friends when I wasn’t sure how to relate to their struggles. Well, I am writing to tell you that it is a lie.
Yes, a lie.
Wait, Kirsti, I thought the Bible says I am more than a conqueror? I thought that I’ve been called to be the head and not the tail? I thought that God works all things for good?
Well, yes. That is right. But the Bible also says that we will endure suffering. It’s a part of the fallen world we live in, and we can expect that hard times will naturally come. But let me pose this thought: many times God gives us more than we can handle so we can fall over into grace.
Let me clarify. The verse that this infamous phrase comes from is often misquoted: “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Cor. 10:12-13
God allows both suffering and temptation alike, but He always provides Himself as the way out.
I’ve caught myself yelling, “I CAN’T HANDLE THIS” several times in my life. Then upon remembering “the phrase”, felt even more frustrated, knowing full well that I had no ability to conjure something up in me to take on the mess.
Oftentimes, my way of “handling it” means giving up or convincing myself that I wasn’t meant to walk through it in the first place. It’s what humans often do when the pressure becomes too much, and I really don’t judge those who do. But this reaction has left me empty and depressed. “God what am I missing here?”
It is here God has again gently reminded me that He is a Father. And He’s a Dad who takes care of business! So many times has He been the solitary reason I could take a single step away from the mess I created. But with the mindset that I was the one “handling it”, I have skipped over thanking God for His grace and credited myself with amazing life skills. Only when I have learned how incapable and dependent I am, and how willing He is have I truly been an overcomer.
I knew that when I signed up for the World Race, I would be signing up for things that I have never before experienced, things that would shove me right into my breaking point. The concept of raising all my own support terrified me before I was accepted, and it is still pretty daunting. On top of that, the past couple months have thrown some pretty crazy-shaped wrenches into the mix of things that need to be “handled”.
Even more, sometimes I can’t even handle the thought of living out of a backpack for a year, or the thought that my bed will be an inflatable mat on the ground after sweaty days without showers. And yes, left to my own will, I would say “psshhh, ya right. I’m gonna stay put.”
But although these thoughts may be tempting me to run away from my calling, I know that the grace of God is what makes me able to overcome all of this and strengthens my dependence on Him for future trials.
Without God, I may be able to achieve some great accomplishments in life doing my own thing. But with God, I have the chance to be a walking miracle every day. Now you tell me what sounds more worth it?
