I do believe that I bite off more than I can chew. You know that feeling when you’ve taken a bite that’s too big and as you try to process it (chew, chew, chew, and chew some more), even though you’ve chewed it to the point of a sore jaw, it still hurts when you swallow it? Well, that’s me. We’re a couple weeks away from moving and for some crazy reason, I thought that I could continue with the regular menu while adding more to the plate.
We’re still homeschooling, the household tasks are still managing to get done, my blog is still operating as normal, we’re carrying on with our weekly Bible study that we lead, and I’m still in regular attendance and participation for a women’s weekly Bible study. What’s one more thing… like packing the entire house? There have been some moments when I felt the lump of chewed food getting stuck in my throat.
As I was thinking about all the things that I can – and cannot – handle, I started chuckling about a common Christianese statement. Okay, so the chuckle may have sounded a bit manic, but I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and it’s become really difficult to chew. I bet you’ve heard something like this: God will not give us more than we can handle. You’ve heard that, haven’t you? When someone has been going through trial after trial, sickness after sickness, financial struggle after financial struggle… but it sounds pretty religiously righteous to say that God will not give us more than we can bear… or God will not allow more than we can handle.
Did you know that many have twisted that common saying to the point of making it not true? Let’s take a look at the scripture we get this from.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13 ESV
I’ve noticed – because I’ve been guilty of this – that we feel vindicated when we find a scripture verse that we can apply to our current state in order to spiritualize our issues. Wow! Yes, I said it! This verse is radically taken out of context in order for us to feel better about our trials and struggles. It must be God…! We sound awfully spiritually mature when we rattle off all the hardships and shrug saying that God must know I can handle all of this.
In January of 2009, I went through several stressful situations that seemed to happen all at once. They were actually spread out over 30 days, but I felt as though I couldn’t catch my breath from one hardship to the next. The first one was totaling my vehicle, the very next day my grandfather passed away (yes, we were close), and then my apartment flooded (from pipes in the ceiling – everything was damaged). My insurance company got quite the work-out between the car getting totaled and my renter’s insurance being utilized for almost everything we owned. I remember hearing from a friend at work that God wouldn’t allow more than I could handle.
But there’s a big difference between hardships and trials and the temptations offered by a fallen world.
Paul was writing to the church in Corinth in this widely twisted scripture. Corinth was big on idol worship and the people who had placed their faith in Jesus were often tempted to join in. So, Paul went through and reminded them of what had happened when the Israelites were in the wilderness – for more than 40 years. They grumbled and complained about God’s provision, they worshipped idols, and they even used God’s provision to make their idols! They were not showing much gratitude, were they?
Some of this was simply the customs of Egypt that was still nestled inside them, and some came from what they witnessed when they encountered other people as they lived and roamed the wilderness.
We have a lot of Egypt in us that tries to pull us in. We have habits that we’ve allowed to go on too long, and we also allow ourselves to get into situations that we should never be in. If you struggle with alcohol, there is no reason to think that you’ll absolutely make good choices going to the bar with friends after work. If you struggle with pornography, why would you think that a little smut won’t revive that desire?
The Corinthians were in Corinth. They were dealing with these temptations on a daily basis. They lived in it, but Paul was reminding them that they always had options that would keep them from falling into things that would hurt them. God would provide other options – a way out so that they wouldn’t do the things that would hurt them. He was encouraging them in that no matter what temptation came around, God would always provide a way to avoid falling into sin.
If you struggle with alcohol, then don’t go to a bar – God will provide you with other options for a social outing. If you struggle with pornography, God will open doors for entertainment that keeps out the smut whether it’s in what you to watch or read. He will provide a way out of temptation! The question is, do we want to avoid those things that the enemy would use to destroy us?
The hardships and trials, on the other hand, are unavoidable. Friction always comes when there are differences. When we decide to go against the flow of the world and go with the flow of God’s beautiful grace, we’re going to encounter a bit of push-back from the world because of our new way of life.
My car accident had nothing to do with the enemy trying to trap me into temptation. My grandfather getting to embrace the Creator and Savior of the universe was not a temptation that I was struggling to avoid. And having to deal with the insurance company twice in one month was because of poorly insulated pipes in the attic and not a temptation to satisfy a lustful desire.
It’s time to recognize our stuff for what it is. It’s time to point fingers in the right direction. When we say things like God will not allow more than we can handle or God will not give us more than we can take (there is a not-so subtle difference in allow and give), we’re really blaming God for our hardships – just in a nice, Christian way. We’re subconsciously attributing to God something that was never given by His hand.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10 ESV
Life can throw some stuff at us – sometimes all at once – and that’s the result of living in a fallen world. But if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus Christ, we can navigate these situations with grace and in peace. Not piece like the mouthful I’m still regretting biting off, but peace like a calm that the world cannot understand.
He can take the car accidents, the destroyed belongings, and even the absence of loved ones and bring something beautiful from them. We can rely on His promise to provide a way out of temptations – yes, but we can also rely on His faithfulness to work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:18-31) – those are two very different things, but we have a big God who provides for both.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 ESV