Handle It

We have been told, "God does not give you more than you can handle."  WHERE exactly does it say that in the bible?
In March, my sister-in-law was murdered.  In April, a dear friend's daughter was in a horrible car accident.  This month, my sister-in-law Cathy died from cirrhosis of the liver.  It was so sudden and heart breaking.  Our wounds are so fresh and vulnerable.  My older kids are feeling the weight of lose all around us.  My husband is paper-thin and aching.   If you asked Job if he thought he could 'handle' what God was allowing in his life I am pretty sure he could not wrap his mind around all the devastation thinking, "Sure, I got this!"

Shaking their heads, people will say, "I can't imagine what you are going through."  YEP, that's right--you can't!  Our minds don't ponder or prepare for tragedies.  Indeed, you can play out a scenario in your mind thinking about 'what-ifs' but there are no real day-to-day emotional attachments to those what-ifs.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says, "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed: we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

I believe that God DOES allow us to bear more than we can handle.  Let's face it; our measuring sticks our not that long.  We want a comfortable, safe, easy road, not one marked by suffering.  If we truly lived the lives we have planned for ourselves; when would we ever lean on Him or depend on Him????  When life throws hard balls at you that our beyond your capability of grasping them, it is the strength of the Almighty that comes into play.  He shows up with an extra measure of grace and endurance that are a gift during the storm.

Do you know that song...
You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek, You are my all in all.
When I am down you pick me up, when I am dry you fill my cup, You are my all in all.

He definitely gives us more than we can handle.  He gives more blessings, right along with more trails.  All around me, I am hearing how angry someone is with God.  Thankfully, God is big enough and patient enough to let them be angry, although He is not the one to blame.  He grieves right along side of us.  He desires for us to make better choices and include Him in all of them.

Jesus can handle it.  He is our all in all.  TOO, TOO often we bear the burden, believing we are alone in our pain and suffering.  Christ is no stranger to suffering.  He longs to hold our hands and walk through those dark valleys right along side of us.  He is there to keep us from being crushed, giving us hope  to keep pressing on.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).  In Psalm 138 reads, "I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.  When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need."  In verse 8 it says, "The Lord will work out his plans for my life-for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever."

I pray for all those hurting loved ones, filled with anger, to know the strength and promises of our Creator.  The One who made the universe can handle whatever page of your journey you are on today.

Blessings,
E.W.