I can trust God...
Medical problem
Safety
Siblings
Next year in school
Education
I was surprised he put medical problem first. I had thought my energetic, playful and laid-back boy doesn't see his health as an issue. He did realize life is different now. If I were given this card, I would put exactly the same thing except that I would add "Joey's" in front of each of them.
On the way back home, I heard the song He Said in Joy FM, "I won't give you more than you can take..." I heard the same thing in church before and more now: "God will never give you more than you can handle."
When I first heard it, I have doubt. Hmmm... What about those who lost their loved ones in an accident? Now in the time of pain, I have more doubts. What about those parents who lost their children in the fight? And what about me?
So I looked into the Bible and read it's from 1
Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common
to us all. 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 endure it. I read the chapter again and again and realized the quote is never in the Bible.
Why I have doubts? Because everyday I am learning the opposite is true.
If God is only giving me what I can handle, I'll never have to find God.
If God is only giving me what I can handle, I will stay in my comfort zone forever.
If God is only giving me what I can handle, I amn't growing.
If God wants to show his presence in my life, he is going to give me more than I can handle.
God is ALWAYS giving us more than we can handle. That’s because we were never intended to handle it.
But the good news is He doesn't give me more than God and I can handle! He is bigger than anything I can handle. He carries all my weigh. His plan is huge!
I pray I can have simple faith like Joey's. Faith is faith. It is that simple. Faith is not a system of rewards of challenges and payoffs. It is a lifelong journey of fighting distress and moving forward with hope. The Bible reminds me while Joey's disease does not magically disappear because we have become followers of Christ, but we are promised that in the sufferings we are not alone. God does allow me to suffer things I can not bear...alone. And I do not have to bear them alone because our family is surrounded by a community of love that comforts us in the time of hardship.
I still love the song He Said and my heart is filled with incredible love of God when I listen to it. Things will happen in life that will test my faith, but I remember God always loves me.
Very good thoughts, Kathy. I think the confusion lies in the fact that when most people say "God will never give you more than you can handle." It is understood to mean "God will never give you more than you and He can handle together". It is just a given, if you are a believer, that it is with His help. We often joke and say "God thinks I can handle it, but I think He is mistaken this time". But that is just messing around to say "God, this one is huge - are You really going to enable me to handle this huge thing." -because it just seems so unbelieveable because we know what we can handle alone at it is no where near what we are facing. But, His promise is that He won't give us more than we can handle with His help. No the exact words are not in the Bible in that exact way, but in the verse you quoted - nothing He allows in our lives will be so big that we would HAVE to give into the temptation to not believe in Him or to give up on living this life for Him and trusting Him. He will provide the strength, the wisdom, the way out so that we can stand up under the trial and continue to love Him, live for Him, and serve Him. Hopefully that makes some sense. Taking the comment at face value, I agree - we cannot handle these things alone and that motivates us to trust God even more. It is not in the Bible, but when I hear it said and when I have said it, it is implicit that it is me and God together.
ReplyDeleteDear Kathy,
ReplyDeleteYes, with God's help, nothing is impossible because in God, everything is possible. God will never give us more than we can handle because HE promise "我的恩典是夠你用的，因為我的能力在人的軟弱上顯得完全。”
We will keep praying for Joey, you, and your family.
Immanuel,
Shirley
Kathy this is such an insightful post. As someone who is "in the desert" and feels very, very far removed from God, I feel meeting you and your family is drawing me closer to God in a new way. You are such a wise person and I draw on that wisdom now to help me find my way back.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing your family is-
You, Joey, Luke, and David are in our constant prayers.
Kris