A Lie and the Truth
You have all heard it. It’s one of the great lies Christians tell each other. Are you ready?
“God won’t give you more than you can handle”
Yes, you can quote 1st Corinthians 10:13(ESV):
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
But temptation isn’t given by God. After all look at James 1:13 (ESV):
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
So why is life hard? Why is there evil? Why is the statement “God won’t give you more than you can handle” a lie? Simply put sometimes we have to be reminded of a few truths.
1. We chose this. Not just Adam and Eve, but we are sinners to. We chose sin over God again and again and again. In doing so we are asking for more than we can handle. Because we can’t deal with sin alone.
2. We live in a world drowning in sin. Evil things exist and will happen. And sometimes, bad things just happen. Not because of some great plan, but because the world is sinful. The only way “everything happens for a reason” works is if you accept that most times, that reason is a sin cursed world. God does not cause sin, nor is He deliberately sending sin into your life to test you. What I am saying is this world is more than we can handle. Not because it is what God prefers, but because we chose sin, God permits it.
3. Because if we could handle it ourselves we wouldn’t need a savior. If we could handle life ourselves our faith would just be an extra part of us, not an essential part of us.
You see, I have to admit that there are things that happen in my life that I cannot manage. I can’t fix them or move on without gathering a few more scars. Call them trials, or tribulations, or problems, call it the struggles of life, or simply call it bad news. There is good news though. The good news is that God walks with us always. In fact we take great comfort in knowing what ever price life/sin demands of us, God has already paid it. No matter how corrupted things become; God has said He will redeem it. We are not alone, and there is peace in that. There is comfort in being able to take a deep breath, confidently being able to kneel down in prayer and say, “Ok God, I can’t handle this, but I know you can.” Things will happen that are greater than we can handle. But we don’t have to feel loneliness, or fear, despair or resentment. God even understands our anger, He hears our cries in the night, and remains by our side through it all. So the next time someone is suffering, pause before you say the lie. Instead remind them that things happen all the time that are greater than our ability to handle, but they are never beyond God’s ability to handle. And when we suffer, let us remember who holds us ever closer. Remember, my friends, being a Christian will never make your life easier, but it will make it easier to deal with life….especially when it’s too big for us.
My God is bigger than my problems,
-Pastor Dan