“God will never give you more than you
can handle” is a phrase that most of us have heard at some point in our lives. Even
though that phrase is meant to be an encouragement by people who have caring
and concerned hearts, I do not believe it is true.
The Good Shepherd is not some meanie
in the sky sitting in heaven trying to think of all the ways that suffering can
be piled upon us and push us to the breaking point without going over the edge.
What about the people who do break under the pressure? Are they weak? Did they
not believe enough? Did they fail the Good Shepherd by breaking. Or did the
Good Shepherd miscalculate what they could handle?
It really saddens my heart when I hear
others in the midst of their pain and heavy burdens say the Good Shepherd has
forsaken them or pulled the rug out from underneath them. Lately I have been
reading over my journals that I kept while working on recovering from my past.
My life had become so overwhelming. Everything was crumbling and my world had
fallen apart. As I read the thoughts of anguish I had written down, I started
thinking about the times people tried to reassure me by saying God would not
give me more than I could handle. I also remembered I wanted to punch them
square in the face!
It felt awful to be told that I should
be able to bear all my problems otherwise the Good Shepherd would not have
given them to me. It makes me think I am a bad person and a bad Christian. The
Good Shepherd (who I was beginning to trust) would never allow this kind of
suffering and pain to fall on someone who couldn’t bear it, so I am a failure
because I cannot. I kept asking myself, “If I am supposed to handle this, then
why can’t I handle it?” Then I started
trying to ignore my suffering and pretend it wasn’t there. Then I started
thinking that I could handle it on my own, which then lead me to think “If I
can handle anything that comes my way then why do I need the Good Shepherd at
all?
Growing up in the church I have heard
many sermons about God never giving you more than you can handle based on 1
Corinthians 10:13(NLT) which says: The
temptations in your life are not different from what others experience. And God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Paul is
talking about temptation, not suffering. With temptation, we have a choice, but
with suffering we don’t have a choice.
So, if I never get more than I can
handle than why is life so hard for me? In the past I know some of it was having
to live with the consequences of making wrong choices in my life, but other
times it is just life. This week has been a struggle for me, I have spent most
of it crying throughout the day and night. That old pattern of thinking came
back and I started to feel like the Good Shepherd was a million miles away. I
forgot what He has been teaching me. If I truly want to hear His voice loud
and clear I needed to spend more time with Him, not just the time I had to
spare, but the time I didn’t have to spare.
The Good Shepherd longs for us to
depend on Him when we are feeling overwhelmed with life and burdened by more
that we can handle. He wants us to spend time with Him so we can be filled with
what we need to get through each day. When my load seems to heavy to carry, He
is waiting for me to recognize that I could not handle it on my own. Matthew 11:28-30(NLT)
says: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me
teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you
is light.”
When I feel like I am drowning in
life’s pains, trials, and heartaches, and it feels like more than I can bear, I
need to remember to take a deep breath and know I can TRUST him enough to hand
over my heavy crippling burdens and let Him carry the load. I need the Good
Shepherd like I need the air that I breath. He is the only one who can make it
bearable when life is anything but.
2 Corinthians 1:8-10(NLT) says: We
were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we
would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a
result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who
raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he
will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will
continue to rescue us.
Today, if you are discouraged or
depressed, look to the Good Shepherd, He is the one who will lift your head.
Today, if you are feeling like you
can’t go one more step, look to the Good Shepherd. He is your strength and he
will make your steps secure. Stay focused on Him and it will help you stay in
the race.
Today, if you are emotionally,
spiritually, or physically sick, look to the Good Shepherd. When He walked this
earth He healed ALL those who were oppressed, sick, and diseased. He has not
changed! He still heals!
Today, I want to remind you that the
Good Shepherd came to this earth to destroy the works of Satan. You do not have
to live in bondage. You don’t have to walk in darkness, because He is your
light.
Just like the air I breathe He is
always readily available to me with every inhale and with me at every moment of
my life.
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