But He Does

"But He does." The words were on the tip of my tongue, but the moment passed before I could say them. As is often the case when I'm in the middle of a conversation, someone came along and interrupted. (A pet peeve of mine, but that's a topic for another day!) I wanted to offer a correction, clear up the misquoted scripture, but the interrupter commandeered the conversation and the moment passed.

"God won't give you anything more than you can handle." It's not the first time I've heard those words (and I'm sure it won't be the last!), and to be honest, they bug me. I know there's no ill-intention behind them, and they're probably meant as an encouragement during tough times. But in all honesty, those words can be dangerous. 

Fact: God DOES give us more than we can handle. 

Mostly when people say that God won't give you anything more than you can handle, they are referring to 1 Corinthians 10:13:
"... 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."

There's a big difference between temptation and God giving us (or allowing) something we can't handle. With temptation, there is always a way out, just as God promises. We can turn off the screen. We can walk away. We can skip the dessert. We can avoid gossip. We can say no. There will always, always be an escape route when temptation comes our way.

But we can't just walk away from life and the troubles it brings. We can't just turn off a diagnosis when it comes out of the blue. We can't say no to infant loss or the death of a loved one. We can't just ignore  financial stress when another bill arrives. 

These trials are all a reality of life. While we are this side of heaven, we will face tough times. In essence, we will experience things that are far more than we can handle... on our own. Jesus even says that we will have trouble in this life (John 16:33). We should expect there will be hard times. We should expect the dry seasons and the storms. We are not promised a smooth ride in this life.

But we are promised that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and we have the reassurance that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). We can endure because of Christ's power in us. 

There have been some low moments in my life where I haven't been able to handle all God has allowed in my life. I haven't been okay with grief, or health issues, or financial worries. So why did God give me more than I could handle? Didn't He care about me? Did He want to see me suffer? Was I not strong enough to handle what life had thrown my way? What about that other person who seemed to be doing so well... did that mean I was a failure? 

That's the danger of misquoting 1 Corinthians 10:13. It brings our own ability into the equation, and it assumes that our response to and endurance of life's storms all depends on us. It creates doubt and limits our belief of what the Lord can do. 

The truth is, God allows us to carry more than we can bear... because we weren't meant to carry life's burdens alone. Our Heavenly Father is our burden carrier and the lifter of our heads. In our weakness, He is strong. He wants all of our worries, because He cares for us. He is working all things for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28). 

Knowing that He is with you takes the pressure off trying to do it all on your own, don't you think? The next time someone comes at me with those words, my response will be, "but He does... and to Him be the glory." 

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