Way More Than I Can Handle

Many people have acknowledged the illegitimacy of the phrase “God will not give you more than you can handle”.  But as with many things, we can often say it, believe that it is true, but have a difficult time walking thru things in real life.

But just to be clear, God does in fact give you more than you can handle. 

There are many things in my life that I have stated I could not handle. Things I have specifically stated are some of my “biggest fears”. And I have watched these “biggest fears” come to reality. 

It’s not that I think voicing them into the universe made them happen. But I do think that God kindly answer gently allowed a few things that I did not want to happen to happen so that I could clearly see his hand in them.

There are many many things he has protected me from. But there are a few things that I know he has specifically allowed to happen so that He can carry me through them.

The thing is that when you experience your “biggest fear” you realize that God is always going to walk you thru them. and he won’t allow them to overtake you. It might not be completely comfortable or pleasant, but it is not nearly as scary as you imagine.

If God doesn’t give you more than you can handle, it would mean that he expects you to handle it. Which sounds very overwhelming. I like to be in control. I grab for independence. And I don’t like help. But when it really comes down to it, I do not want to be in charge of handling what life throws my way. I don’t want to be the one calling the shots. I don’t want to result to fall on my shoulders.

When God is in control it doesn’t mean that we just sit back and do nothing.

But it does mean that we walk in obedience, getting our marching orders from him along with the strength to carry them out. And the results... they are up to Him.

When the unthinkable happens, we don’t need assurances of our strength. We don’t need affirmations that we are enough, we are capable, we can “slay the day”.

We need to be reminded that God is big. That he is sovereign. We need to be reminded to run to Him in surrender. To walk faithfully in to what He has called us to. 

God can walk us through the difficult things. He can remind us that he is always present. We can take comfort in our weakness. We can lay down because he is working.

We can persevere in obedience knowing that He is the One who sustains.

He does in fact give us more than we can handle. But there is kindness in that, because he never gives us anything he cannot handle. And he is always with us.

I find more peace in the difficult because I do not have the illusion that I am in control. I have to give up the idea that I can handle it.

And in the surrender I find his strength. His endurance. His presence.