We talked about it in bed a couple of nights ago…was it a Biblical statement? “God will never give you more than you can handle?” That evening Katie — brave and beautiful, living out the Gospel as a single Mom with a houseful of orphans-come-home in Uganda whispered the thought in a blog post: Does He give us more than we can handle so that we will turn to Him?
Yes, Katie — I think so.
Because the point of living out the Gospel-life is learning that in Him we have everything we need for life and godliness. When babies won’t nap and houses need scrubbing. When the refrigerator is empty and we don’t know what we’ll eat tomorrow. When we say goodbye to children for the last time and watch them lowered into the ground.
This testimony has been told, near and far for generations:
Jesus! He is enough.
We didn’t come to a conclusion in bed that night, though as the case usually is my mind was made up. He does give us more than we can handle. Then He also gives us Jesus.
And then the God-whisper comes again, on my screen, a link from a friend — this mother who handles the more-than-you-can-handle by His grace. She has said goodbye to a son named Asher, and my heart tightens, I swallow hard, I look away and tell my eyes not to cry. Arms full with four babies three and under and this is how she does it:
Jesus! He is enough.
I go back to thinking about how we’re going to make it, an unknown future, a known and good God. We’ve got questions, He’s got answers. I’ve got worry. He’s got peace. I don’t know about tomorrow, but He is here today.
Jesus! He is enough.
These words I’ve linked to — they are worth taking the time to read.
And these thoughts, perhaps worth pondering. If He does give us more than we can handle but we think that He won’t — will we know how to handle it? If instead we trust that no matter what fiery furnace or lion’s den we face, we rely on this Truth, this Word, the Word made flesh who dwelt among us — the Word, the Man who is the Truth — surely we can face it all.
Jesus! He is enough.
xCC
I was just talking to my sitter about this the other day! I agree, there’s really no scriptural basis for the whole “he won’t give you more than you can handle” thing. I mean, if it’s empowering to people, then go ahead and use it, but I don’t think it’s a theologically sound statement. I love the idea that the opposite might in fact be true, in order to encourage better faith. Good post. 🙂