God Gives Us MORE Than We Can Handle

Written by: Erica Sawyer

If there’s one cliche in life that I cringe every time I hear or see, it’s this: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”

I don’t believe this. I don’t believe this is biblical either. 

Do you mean to tell me that I can “handle” this spinal cord injury??  Do you mean that I can “handle” the pain associated with it— physical and emotional??

God tells us that we are to cast all our cares on Him. (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 34:17; Galatians 6:2; Isaiah 41:10; 46:4; 58:6; Matt 11:28-30)  Not just the ones we can’t handle.  He wants them all. He wants to be the one carrying our cross. He wants to carry the burden. He wants to do the heavy lifting.

If that’s the case, then I believe God gives us MORE than we can handle in order that we will run to Him, fall at his feet and into his arms.

Do you think when Jesus was praying in The Garden of Gethsemane knowing that he was going to be tortured and put on a cross to die that was “something he could handle”, without humility, or without absolute total dependence on his father??  

Do you think when you’re walking through the lowest depths in your life God wants you to handle it!?  No!!  He doesn’t!!  He wants to be the one handling it. He wants to be the one working in the background. He wants to be the one writing your story. He wants to be the one doing the heavy lifting.

I have a tendency to mess everything I try to do up in the very best times of my life, so why in my worst would God want me to make it better!?

You see, I actually like that old “Footprints” poem a lot better than the silly cliche I mentioned at the beginning:

“My precious child, I love you and will never leave you.

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you.”

God doesn’t expect us to handle these things ourselves. This is what Jesus died for. When you can look to Him bloodied, beaten, and hanging on a cross, you can know for certain there is no trouble in the world He doesn’t understand.

“Come to me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and lean on me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)