Have you ever heard anyone say, “Remember, God won’t give us more than we can handle” ?

I think that highly quoted statement might be a misinterpretation of the scripture in Corinthians 10:13 that says “He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.”

Circumstances, pressures and difficulties of life are not the same as temptations.

In Second Corinthians 1:8, Paul says “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.”

They were given more than they could handle.

Cancer was more than my sweetheart could handle.

Watching him suffer was more than I could handle.

Why would a loving God allow us to experience more than we can handle?

We get our answer in verse 9 –

“So we might not rely on ourselves but on God.”

I remember knowing it was too much for both of us to handle as Amos was was dying and I couldn’t make it stop. The only thing I could do was leave it to God, trust in His plan; His promises.

When Amos was first diagnosed with cancer, I prayed to know if he would make it. My answer was “God keeps His promises.” At the time I thought I understood what that meant, that God wouldn’t take him because He knew that would be more than I could handle.

Now I understand better what that meant. That God would let me have experiences I couldn’t handle in order to refine me and help me learn to trust Him. No matter our circumstances here, especially those we can’t handle, God keeps His promises. I still need to keep my promises to qualify for all the blessings He has in store, but I never have to worry or wonder if He will keep His.

His tender mercies on our family over the past two years have been clear and continual. His promises are not always distant or reserved for the life to come, but are often blessings for now. He has been there to carry my burdens and attend to our needs in such detailed ways. I can’t deny it. Even His love and care for us are more than we can handle.