so much can you handle?

i got an e-mail the other day that got me thinking. i have gotten many e-mails from friends and family since all this started, some from people i have not seen or heard from in probably 5-6 years, and it has been awesome. it is amazing to know that people from across the country, and even on the other side of the world are praying for you and thinking about you.

anyway, this e-mail contained a statement that i myself have told people several times to encourage them. it is an encouraging statement, i know that is how it was meant, and i have actually been told it on several occasions at various times in my life. the difference now, i think, is that God has been working on me to rest in Him. based on this shift in my paradigm, the statement of "God never gives us more than we can handle" does not seem to be so true anymore. let me explain...

God does say in scripture that when we are tempted, He will give us a way out. (1 Cor. 10:13). He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. but this is temptation. this has nothing to do with trying circumstances...nothing to do with "suffering" for lack of a better word.
as i said, i have told many people who were struggling with difficult situations that same thing, to be encouraging. it has been only recently that i have begun to think of this differently. the reason i see this differently now is that i think He does give us more than we can handle...He can even really load it on sometimes...not to make us fail, but so that we will look to Him.

i know there is no way i could be "handling" any of this at all without Him in the midst of it. but i also know that it seems He has been trying to get my attention. trying to get me to stop doing everything on my own strength, and well, i have been so good at doing things on my own, it has taken a lot to get to the point of being beyond what i think i can handle. i have given up...i can't do it...only He can handle this. i have known "God is in control" at least in the big scheme of things, and i thank Him for that everyday. but there is a big difference in knowing he is control of the big picture versus letting Him have control of the minute by minute stuff and decisions that we have to deal with everyday. that is what has been hard to give up to Him.

He does give us more than we can handle so that we will turn to Him and depend on Him to do whatever it is that is put in front of us. He doesn't do it to punish us, but because He loves us. He wants us in such an intimate relationship with Him that the Holy Spirit and our spirit are so intermingled we don't even have to think about it. we just live with the confidence that we are in His will...we know everything that happens is taken care of by the strength of our Almighty Father, the Perfect Son, and His indwelling Spirit that is working within us.

so anyway, the way i see things now, God does give us more than we can handle, and we can thank Him that He does...because this is how He grows and matures our faith and walk with Him. if we keep going under our own power, we may never get to that point of utter desparation and surrender.

there may be folks out there that do not agree, and that is fine...this is just what i feel like i am learning...and i wanted to share.

thanks for reading....

in HIM.

anne