A couple years of years ago, 2021 to be specific, a famous (or maybe infamous) pastor tweeted the following statement…
“God will not give you more than you can handle. If you have a big challenge today, that means you have a big destiny.”
I think we have all heard the first part of this statement before…
God will not give you more than you can handle.
And while it might be a statement filled with good intentions, I have a few issues with that statement. I believe there are times when God puts us in situations that are legitimately impossible to handle on our own. We don’t have the capacity, the strength, or the resources. We feel the weight of the burdens taking us down. We’re swept under powerful waves and are gasping for air. We experience this in our own lives, and we read about it in Scripture.
God called Moses to free the Israelites from slavery to one of the most powerful empires of the time, and from one of the most powerful rulers of the time.
A young David went up against the massive and intimidating Goliath, a sure and guaranteed failure. David could not handle the fight against Goliath.
When Jesus asked the disciples to feed a massive crowd who gathered to hear his teaching, he gave the disciples a task they couldn’t handle. Their supplies were scarce. Five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish? They must have wondered if Jesus was serious when he asked them to feed 5,000 with such a small amount.
I read a story about a family who wrestled with this statement of, God will not give you more than you can handle. Here is a bit of their story…
“We moved cross-country with two toddlers and, within a week of moving, were surprised by the news I was pregnant with boy-girl twins. Meanwhile, my husband changed careers and had to figure out a brand-new field on his own. I gave birth to the twins only to discover shortly after holding them in my arms that one of them had Down syndrome.
Two months later, COVID-19 hit and I had to supervise my two older children doing school from home while I breastfed newborn twins. While continuing to reel from the news that we were suddenly parents of a child with special needs, we discovered the other twin had a rare disease that would require very involved at-home medical care and multiple surgeries. In between surgeries, our baby with Down syndrome began having brain-damaging seizures that required multiple hospitalizations.
All these events took place in rapid succession. The emotional toll on our family is incredible. Suffice to say, the weight on our souls has felt absolutely unbearable, and we’ve been clinging to Christ for dear life.”
“Clinging on for dear life”.
Can you relate to that?
Have there been times in your life where you were simply trying to hang on?
I am not sure if this phrase has derived from well-meaning folks trying to support others or if we are trying to hang onto the idea that we need to be self-sufficient and to be overwhelmed by life is a sign of weakness.
Let’s talk about it on Sunday.
~ Pastor Dustin
