God won't give us more than we can handle, right?

Yesterday while mindlessly surfing my Facebook News Feed, I came across a link to an interesting site. The site shared 10 facts about St. Patrick's Day related things that go against what everyone believes to be true. Now remember, as with anything on the internet, these facts can be true or may be false. That's because computers will sit still long enough for you to write anything on them! So here are the 10 facts shared on the site.

10. St. Patrick wasn't Irish. (Thought to be born in Scotland/Wales/England.)
  9. St. Patrick's color is blue.
  8. St. Patrick's Day was invented in America.
  7. St. Patrick died on March 17. (Many believe it is his birthday.)
  6. St. Patrick didn't drive all the snakes out of Ireland.
  5. The shamrock isn't the symbol of Ireland. (It's actually the harp.)
  4. St. Patrick's Day used to be a dry holiday. (Many use it as an excuse to drink excessively.)
  3. Corned beef and cabbage isn't a traditional Irish dish.
  2. There are more Irish people living in the U.S. than in Ireland. (There are 4 million people
       living in Ireland and 34 million people of Irish descent living in the U.S.)
  1. Your odds of finding a four-leaf clover are slim to none. (Actually 1 in 10,000.)

So what's with the useless information? Well many times we hear things and repeat them without taking into consideration that the truth may not be the same as what we've just heard.

Let's take the often quoted phrase "God won't give me more than I can handle." First off many will relate this to 1 Corinthians 10:13 where it says "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (NIV). That verse is true when it comes to the temptations we face in life. God always gives us a way out. That way out is by relying on Him and not our self.

But when it comes to the difficulties of this life, divorce, death, finances, raising children, work, etc., we regularly seem to receive more than we can handle. Why is that? Because God is allowing us to deal with more than we can handle. He is giving us more than what we can endure. The reason He does that is because if we could handle it then we wouldn't need Him. We could be our own God if we didn't have to rely on Him for help. God has created us as finite, limited, frail and fragile beings for a reason. He did it so that we could have a relationship with Him. Not so we could be another god. He wants us to rely on Him. He wants us to come to Him with our problems. He wants to show us His love by helping us carry our burdens.

In Philippians 4:13 God tells us how we can really handle every situation we face in life, the good and the bad. It says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (NKJV). We can handle the enormous burdens of life when we have a relationship with Christ and allow Him to give us strength. My encouragement to you today, especially if you are dealing with one of life's major difficulties, is to give it to God in prayer and ask Him for the strength to endure. He is faithful and will provide every ounce of strength that you need!

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