by Christine Berglund

God Gives You More Than You Can Handle

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

At some point, we have all probably been told or have told someone else that, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” It’s meant to be comforting and encouraging, and it sounds good, I guess; however, it is absolutely NOT TRUE, and it is not in the Bible.

As Jesus speaks with his disciples before his arrest and betrayal, he tells them many things about his upcoming departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit as a helper, and he explains,

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 English Standard Version

Jesus promises that his followers WILL, not might, have tribulation in the world. We see this truth around us and within us every day. Death, cancer, disease, accidents, divorce, mental illness, abuse, crime, prejudice. And tribulation does not discriminate. It comes for all of us: young and old, rich and poor, faithful and faithless. I don’t know about you, but I can’t handle any of this by myself. I can’t even handle my own self and sins and personal tribulation, let alone everyone else’s.

In 2010, I took custody of and later adopted my two nieces and a nephew who were 4, 3, and 1. Going in, I thought I was prepared for it to be hard, but, wow, I was not prepared. It was hard. There was tribulation. My sister was going through multiple traumas, and my family members were not all in agreement about what should happen. My mom was completely opposed to the decision to move the kids to me because I was in Colorado and they were 1,000 miles away, and my dad was caught in the middle. Meanwhile, my quiet single life as a high school English teacher living alone in my townhome underwent a few drastic changes when it was suddenly invaded by three preschoolers.

I was soon overwhelmed and drowning. God gave me way more than I could handle by myself. Oh I tried, and then I tried harder, but eventually I had to admit my weakness and my need and call on God for help and strength. God does give us more than we can handle by ourselves, so we turn to Him and rely on Him. He promises that we can have peace in Him despite our situation, and we learn through Paul’s tribulations that God’s grace is sufficient for us and that His power is made perfect in weakness. Read the words that Paul shared in his second letter to the Corinthians about his experiences in Asia:

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 English Standard Version

 We cannot do life alone or on our own strength. It is more than we can handle, but it is not more than He can handle. He loves you and is with you in whatever trial you face.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado