More Than You Can Handle...

Have you ever heard the old adage: “God will never give you more than you can handle”? Have you ever wondered where that comes from? Surely it must be in the Bible somewhere! Well, you may be surprised to hear, this statement is actually not in scripture at all. In fact, it might even be antithetical to the very nature of God.

I love looking back on times in my life where I felt completely in over my head. You know, those seasons when it was all too much. Maybe it was when you became a mother for the first time… Or maybe it was stepping into a giant role in ministry… Maybe it was starting a new company or a new venture… There were times too when I’ve experienced traumas or deep sadness that felt as though it was beyond what I could bear. You too? Whatever it was, I know for me those times felt like God had certainly given me more than I could handle.

The funny thing is, when I look back on those times in my life, they were the absolute holiest of times. Those were the times that I leaned into God like never before. Those were the times that I cried out to Him in desperation in prayer…sometimes living moment to moment, breath to breath, just getting through the day. I felt completely beyond my strength. I felt like I had come to the end of myself. Have you ever felt that way?

I sometimes wonder if that’s right where God wants us. ...Right in the center of more than we can handle.

It’s so easy when life is moving along smoothly, without bumps or hiccups, to forget to cry out to God in desperation or to rely on Him moment to moment and breath to breath. It’s so easy to forget what scripture actually says in John 15:5…that He is the vine and we are the branches, and that apart from Him we can do nothing.

It’s so easy to live in our own strength and in our own will, taking for granted the simple gifts of breath in our lungs and life in our limbs.

But when we hit those places, where God gives us more than we can handle, that is when we truly learn surrender. That is when we begin to lean in and lean on the one who can be our great strength when we are weak. That is when we get to see Him move in our lives in ways we never expected. That is when we truly partner with Him. And that is when we can look back, knowing that we were carried by our loving God, and share testimonies of His strength and glory.

When was a time that God gave you more than you could handle? How did He use that time to shape you into the woman you are today?