Hogwash

Have you ever noticed that when you’re going through a really tough time in life, people like to give pat answers? They’re uncomfortable saying nothing so they say something trite. Or worse, they misquote scripture. For example, you’ve probably had a well-meaning individual attempt to encourage you by saying, “God will not give you more than you can handle.”

To which I say, hogwash.

Saying that God will not give you more than you can handle is simply poor theology. Yes, I Corinthians 10:13 says that “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear,” but we’re not talking about temptation. We’re talking about the difficulties of life — specifically, the difficulties of life that’s been shattered after being forced to leave your ministry.

So does God give us more than we can handle? Absolutely! It’s when we cannot handle the pain and heartache that we realize we are totally dependent upon Him. On my darkest days, I could not think or process information unless He untangled my thoughts. I could not control my emotions without His strength. I could not live through another day unless His Spirit lived it through me.

So yes, God does allow life to give us more than we can handle. But when we turn to Him, He provides what we need to not only survive but to move on. Moving on is a process, however, and the process takes time. So be patient with yourself. As you move on, I hope that you will leave comments on my blog and let me know how you’re doing. If you don’t want to share publicly, please email me at deanna@deannaharrison.com. You don’t have to move on alone.