Have you ever heard someone use the phrase:
God says He wouldn't ever give me more than I can handle.
It makes me pause every time I hear this. It's actually not Biblical.
The verse that people tend to get this idea is from I Corinthians 10:13:
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. (NIV)
This verse talks about temptation in particular. If we were strong enough to handle temptation on our own, we wouldn't need God to provide a way out so we could overcome it.
The New Living Translation puts it this way:
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
If there's one thing I've learned in this life...it's this:
Life will hand me much more than I can handle on a silver platter.
There are times that I've felt crushed under the weight of it all.
My spirit utterly broken. My heart in pieces.
Wondering if I can get up and face another day.
Each day is a new problem...a new temptation.
Where did we get this idea that God would never give us more than we can handle?
We are not super heroes.
The truth of the scripture says that most certainly- the world (our lives) will be full of trials.
But take courage...I have overcome the world.
The truth of the scripture says that although we will face trials of all kinds...
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The key here is this: there is only one Savior.
It is not you.
When life hands you days, weeks, even years of overwhelming problems and temptations- we can acknowledge that it is indeed more than we can handle. But we don't have to "handle" them on our own.
The scripture says...Fear not, for I am with you always. Even unto the end of the world.
In other words, we can give it over to Him. Without Him we cannot handle much of anything.
We are weak. He is strong.
He will provide a way for us to endure.
He is our Superhero.
