“God will not give you more than you can bear.” How many times have you heard that, or maybe said it yourself during a time of troubles that did indeed seem too much to bear? It’s well meant and intended to offer encouraging comfort, but often puts God in the hard place of having heaped on burdens under which we cannot stand.
Where did the saying come from? Not from the Bible, that’s for sure. What will be heard in many congregations this Sunday is a passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in which he wrote: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested (tempted in the KJV) beyond your strength…” (1 Cor.10).
The context is about remaining strong in the faith as Paul proclaimed it, to trust in God, and not fall back into pagan ways, or be seduced by strange teachings pretending to be Christian. That should be clear enough, but it isn’t.
Oddly enough, the old saw is true; God will not give us unbearable burdens. But the changes and chances of life can and do. Coping with the unbearable by toughing it out with a stiff upper lip works poorly. Sinking into the mire of sentimental platitudes is equally unhelpful. Real, restorative help is needed, and real, restorative help comes from trust in God’s love as made known to us in Christ Jesus, who invited us to exchange our heavy yokes for his more easily borne. To trust Jesus is to accept his power of healing and restoration, even in the face of unbearable burdens.
Where does the unbearable come from? From the evil wickedness of others, our own clumsy mistakes and poor judgment, and chance events in a chancy world.
Now and then someone will assert the grievous events of life are a part of God’s inscrutable plan for a greater, if unknown, goodness. However well meant, it is always a stab in the heart to hear such words.
God’s plan is plain for all who choose to see it. Worship God only – nothing and nobody else. Live lives of honest integrity. Love yourself and others in word and deed as Jesus loves us. There isn’t any other plan, don’t waste time looking for something that doesn’t exist. God has made ‘his’ plan clear and given humans freedom to live into it or not, according to each one’s ability to do so. Love as Christ has loved you and get on with life as you encounter it. Perfection is not required: amendment of life is, even if taken in little, uncertain steps. If God chooses to call you t o a particular ministry, secular or ecclesiastical, it will be made known to you.
Most of us will encounter tragedies and burdens too heavy for us to bear. They won’t come from God, but God will be there to help us along the way.
Thank you for this clarifying, comforting, encouraging and helpful post.
Beautiful Steven!
Steve-although we are now living close to Portland, I so much enjoy your posts. Keep them coming!