Where did people come up with the idea that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle? And why do people go around telling this to those who are going through a hard time? Do they really think that’s going to help the situation at all? Perhaps it can be taken as an encouragement by some, but I think the majority would admit (or I do at least) that this saying is just frustrating. I’m one who has been prone to anxiety attacks for quite a while. Nothing major, but annoying nonetheless. I’ve often felt like I was in a situation that I couldn’t handle, and being told that I can because God ‘gave’ it to me has never been helpful. My argument would be that there are plenty of situations that God allows us to get into that we absolutely cannot handle on our own – and that’s the whole point.
Take Job for example. He was a righteous man. He loved God and had everything going for Him. His life was perfect, and then he literally loses everything. Children, wealth and health. All gone. But God allowed this to happen to him so that means he can handle it right? Heck no. What person could handle all that at once. Few people can even handle one of those things at a time on there own. The good news though is that we’re not meant to handle our trials and suffering on our own. Hard circumstances are suppose to draw us into deeper dependance on God. When the ground falls out from underneath us, we must stand on Him alone as our Rock, not on our own ability to handle things.
Another poor belief that so many hold would be that we as believers are suppose to remain joyful in all circumstances. Tell the woman who just lost her child, or the man whose doctor just gave him a death sentence, to rejoice. Do you think that Job was rejoicing about losing everything? He absolutely was not. Read the book of Job for yourself. The man was in bad shape, but what he did do is important. He stayed engaged with God. He was miserable, and had his share of doubts and questions, but he chose to never turn away from God. Job had some dumb moments maybe, but you can’t blame the guy. The key is that he continued to talk with God. Also, he didn’t wall himself away from others. Sadly his friends weren’t very supportive, but Job acted right in keeping himself connected with others as well as God.
Pain sucks, but we’re not meant to put on a smile and act like we’ve got it all under control. God never called His children to be fake. To be good and pure sure. We have to use wisdom, and we have to live by faith but we should also be okay with feeling our pain, and talking about it. No one is meant to go through pain alone. We’re always meant to take it to God, and most of the time to others who are trustworthy and wise as well.
In times of pain though, unlike Job, we can rejoice in knowing that Jesus went to the cross and bore our pain so we wouldn’t have to handle it alone. I would never tell someone in pain to be happy (believe me that doesn’t help at all), but I can say that there is hope and reason to rejoice. In your pain, stay engaged with the Father. He is there to see you through. Be real with Him, Tell Him exactly how you feel and what you think. He’s God and He can take anything. He just wants you to engage.
Truth