God Never Gives More Than You Can Handle

God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.-2 Corinthians 12:9

Christians have been known at times to say some really dumb things. I’m sure that at times I have also said some things which looking back on it shouldn’t have been said. One of the shallowest, least considerate statements that Christians make is, “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” This statement is offered to an individual when he/she is going through a rough or difficult time. When someone’s going through a rough time, it’s a struggle to say the right thing. But it is always appropriate to say nothing. If you absolutely have to say something, make sure it isn’t philosophically empty, spiritual nonsense. Telling someone that God never gives you more than you can handle is wrong on many levels.

·         It’s not biblically accurate: You’re going to have a hard time finding this little gem in the Bible. I am convinced that Scripture is full of people who find themselves at the end of what they can handle.

·         It isn’t appropriate: Even if it was true, at the point that a loved one is confiding in you about some terrible trial they’re going through, they feel they’re dealing with more than they can handle. This platitude comes off as painful and dismissive.

·         It’s just dumb: People go through more than they can handle all the time. Whether it’s the loss of a child or a slow death from cancer, people are going through things you can’t possibly imagine.

The truth is God does give us more than we can handle. The point of trials in our life is to draw us to our knees in utter dependence upon our Heavenly Father. God, often gave Paul more than he could handle, yet, Paul understood that in his weakness the power of Christ was best demonstrated. We too must understand that the more we recognize that we are weak and depend on God, the more we know and experience His power.

In conclusion, God usually gives us more than we can handle and that’s the point. Our trials are meant by God to bring us to the end of self-reliance and drive us to our knees in utter reliance on God.