How much will God put on you?

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for

a baby story. I read blogs about families, and am

addicted to several where there is a sick

baby or the family has lost a baby. While I

don't enjoy reading about other people's misery,

I am fascinated to see God working through it.

I love to pray for these families and like to be able

to pray specifically for their need at the moment.

Many times if I am leaving a comment-

and I usually do-

I will read a lot if not all of the other comments.

And there's one saying I have seen on most all

of them at least once that really weighs heavy on me.

"God won't put more on you than you can handle."

Now, I know you have heard this saying before,

and it's beautiful in theory.

But it's wrong.

Our pastor did a sermon years ago about sayings

that are used as scripture. They have been said so

many times that people take them as gospel-but they

are no where in the bible. I'm ashamed to say I

don't remember any of the others, but I remember

this statement because not only had I heard it,

I used it. Not because I had ever looked it up in the bible.

Not because I knew the context of it's origin.

Simply because I had heard it used and assumed that

it was correct. I don't use it anymore.

The truth of the matter is, God will put more on you than

you can handle. Simply put, if we could handle it,

why would we ever need God? If we never hit bottom, how

would we ever look up? If we are never plunged into

darkness, why would we ever look for the light?

The bloggers who have reached this point in their lives,

the point where they realized they had no control,

they are the ones who know that God is the only one

who can be in control. They understand that His hand

is in everything that happens, good or bad. They may

not understand His motives, but realize that His plan

is bigger than ours. That doesn't make things less painful.

I don't think it always makes things easier.

But I think it gives them perspective on God that

those of us who have never walked that road could have.

Does this mean if we have to go through horrible

circumstances to draw near to God? Of course

not. God's plan is different for all our lives.

And this usually brings the 'why' questions:

Why me?

Why not them?

Why not me?

We can't answer any of those questions.

And we'll never find peace searching for the answer.

But God has the answers and we have to

trust that He knows the plans He has for us,

even if they are not our own.

God will put more on you than you can handle.

Sometimes He breaks us to bring us to Him.

It's hard to understand the why's, but I don't think

we are supposed to get the why's. Yet. One day

we will have all understanding, but by then I

wonder if it will truly matter anymore.

God uses our trials to draw us close.

He uses them to make us strong

by allowing us to see our weakness.

He uses them to refine our faith

by giving us grace to get through the day.

He uses it to define our walk,

by leading us down His intended path.

He uses it to reveal Himself through us

by giving us a peace that can only come from God.

He creates beauty from ashes,

always bringing good from the bad.

I want to type more, but I am tired, and

my brain is slowly going to sleep without me.

I will leave you with this beautiful verse:

Therefore, having been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord

Jesus Christ, through whom also we have

access by faith into this grace in which

we stand, and rejoice in hope of the

glory of God. And not only that, but

we also glory in tribulations, knowing

that tribulation produces perseverance,

and perseverance, character,

and character, hope.

Now hope does not disappoint, because

the love of God has been poured out in our

hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

TTFN,