More Than You Can Handle

I don’t know what I am supposed to be learning right now, but everyday seems to bring another something. It is all so unrelated that I’m confused on what the lesson is for me. But whatever the lesson is, I’d like to learn it so life will maybe smooth out. I’m just so very tired.

I believe that God does give you more than you can handle. His thought might be that the more that’s put on you, the stronger you will get. An example would be as in weight training. Your muscles become stronger as the weight increases.

I’d like to quote from When God Gives You More Than You Can Handle by Lysa TerKeurst. Her thoughts mirror mine. She was drawn to write about this very topic when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I kept thinking about that statement everyone loves to throw out in times like these: ‘God won’t give you more than you can handle.’ But that’s not actually in the Bible.”

“God does say He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and that He always provides a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13) But that’s not the same as God not giving us more than we can handle.”

“God didn’t cause this (cancer). But He was allowing it. And He sometimes will allow more and more.”

She also quoted from apostle Paul:

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced 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.

I have to agree with her that Jesus wants us to rely on him.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

It seems like every other day something else has been dropped off at my doorstep. And everyday someone tells me that God won’t give me more than I can handle. And every night I wake up and stumble through that thought and wonder how much more I can actually take. Because right now, I just can’t.

I feel like mush. Have you ever felt like that? It’s rather humbling but in a defeated kind of way. My world is very small. I have no outlet other than to go to God, yet I do not feel relief. Only sadness. And mush. I don’t feel stronger only weaker. So what am I missing? What am I supposed to be learning?

Another day. A smoky sunrise will begin in about hour. I feel too tired to start a new day much less a new week. I will ask Jesus to lead me through it all. I will do my best to lay all these burdens at his feet…and leave them there. ♥️

Andi

Photo: the sunset on my way home from the hospital after my hip replacement, December 2018.