Parenting

The best, concise, biblical parenting advice/teaching I have ever heard!  Forget the scores of parenting books, listen to this ONE sermon.



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Does God give us more than we can handle?

It was one of those articles going somewhat viral around the Christian circles on Facebook.  That was just the first time I was confronted with the question.  Then in the past couple weeks since then I have been bombarded with it:

Does God give you more than you can handle?

On those hardest of days, I agree with a friend (ok, so I am nowhere near where she is at in terms of challenges and hardship - amazing what perspective can do for you! - but still),  

"oh He definitely gives me more than i can handle on a regular basis. He overwhelms me daily. i cry all the time. i used to scream up to Him to help me, to provide some relief, to comfort one baby for me while i helped another... He never did. He has brought me to a place where i am alone and isolated, where i usually have only me to rely on. i am constantly exhausted - i can only ever go to bed after midnight, i have a baby who stays up and then wakes often in the night, often 10 times. so i am always tired. He gave me a wonderful husband through all this, but it's still too hard most of the time. ... i have been suicidal, i have been drunk with joy, i have been terrified, i have been hopeless and i have been blessed enormously. sometimes my very blessedness makes me feel guilty for feeling so overwhelmed." 

...and I emphatically say, YES!!!!!!  Too much, it's too much Lord!

Interesting, that most people going through a difficult situation tend to feel that it is indeed too much for them to bear.  On good days though, farther from heartache and trouble (temporarily), we think we can handle it.  Maybe we even get a little cocky and think that we really can do it in our own strength.  So ask someone who's life is going along well and the answer is more likely to be, "No, I don't think God gives us more than we can handle."  *thinking isn't that somewhere in the Bible?*

Now that I have said how I feel, let me back up this argument with some actual Biblical evidence.  This particular statement, that “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” isn’t even in the Bible.  There is a statement that sounds like it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  But notice that verse is about temptation.  That’s it.  You won’t be tempted beyond what you can stand up against.  This text is not saying that you will not experience more than you can bear.  That idea just isn’t Biblical.  If anything the exact opposite is true.  Look at this text.
"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." (2 Cor 1:8,9, emphasis mine).
Later, Paul will write it is when he is weak that the strength of Christ is seen.  In other words, when we can’t do it any longer.  When we are fed up.  When it has become too much.  When we have nothing left.  When we are empty.  When it is beyond our capability to deal with it.  Then, in that moment, the strength of the God of resurrection will be seen.  Until we get to that point, we rely on ourselves thinking we can handle it and take care of the problem.

You can read the full article here.  [Note:  I found this article to be insightful and Biblically accurate but I have not done enough reading to necessarily endorse other content on his blog.]

I think of Job, Joseph, the martyrs of the early church, Mary, a lonely unwed mother, even David who walked through the valley of the shadow of death.  That sounds pretty bad to me. 


Another one of my friends made an interesting point:  
"As I'm thinking about Job, and how it seemed to be more than he could handle, I am also thinking that what happened was beyond Job's control. So I think when something happens outside of our control, that seems like too much for us to handle. It could be God's way of allowing us to trust in him more and rely on him, as well as it is maybe not God giving us more, but "allowing" more to happen."

She also had what I think is a very good and culturally applicable thought and I have to say I agree.
"Sometimes, we become addicted to busyness, and have a hard time saying no. So I think sometimes we inflict upon ourselves too much for us to handle. Whether it be because we want more money so we want a second job, whether it be we want people to like us, whether it be we want to feel loved so we have to go to everything our friends invite us to, or whether it be for other reasons, we sometimes choose these things we don't have to, and are putting ourselves into a situation where it is more than we can handle. So sometimes, even if we think something is more than we can handle, we shouldn't always blame God for letting it happen, we should also look to see if we are partially responsible."  I couldn't have said it better.


"But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ... for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor.12:9-10) 

A comforting thought from another friend, "I have always been so glad that God doesn't measure out His grace at the beginning of the day, or week, or month and then say, "Too bad, you've run out, you'll have to wait now for a new supply." His goodness is moment-by-moment and, in my life so MANY times, minute-to-minute. You are grace-full all the time because you are full of HIM."

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

Why does God give us, or allow us to experience, more than we can handle?  So that we come to Him. So that we need Him.  Rely on Him.  So that we live our lives in His strength.  We can do so much more.  We can be who He really wants us to be through the refining process of having more than we can bear.  We can learn humility and compassion.  And we can grow.

Nope, hard times are not fun.  We are usually not running around rejoicing while being crushed by a huge burden.  Thankfulness is not our instinctive reaction.  But the difficult season you're going through may be God's invitation for you to come to Him, receive Him, and experience His Peace that passes all understanding.

The mom that I quoted from the beginning of this post sums it up beautifully:

"i believe that God walks with us and holds us in the raging waters - He doesn't promise to help us avoid them altogether. how would we ever learn and grow and get strong if He only gave us what we can handle? how would we see our desperate need for Him?"

Peace

Did anyone else sing along with the song "Grown-Up Christmas Wish"?  As we grow older, more of us wish with that song - we'd like relationships to be fixed, everything to be all better, and no more wars.  The gift we'd really like for Christmas is Peace on earth.

Peace.

Wow, I could really use some of that as we head into the new year.  Life seems uncertain.  Obama is [still] president, taxes on the rise, school shootings, healthcare mandates, freedoms being taken away, unrest in the middle east...

You know what?  I GOT IT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!  You can have it too - but it's not a gift you'll find wrapped under your tree.  Actually it was given about 2,000 years ago on the first CHRISTmas ever.  Think about it again, what the angels told the shepherds.

"...Peace on earth!" Luke 2:14

He came!  He embodied peace.  He was Peace.  Actually, the prince of Peace, so God (the Father) must be Peace.  And he sent his son, Peace incarnate, to earth - Peace truly was on earth.

"And he will be called: ... Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

Remember the Christmas prophesy from Micah?  "But you Bethlehem... though you are small... out of you will come a ruler..." and if you keep reading a couple verses down it says,

"And He will be their peace."  Micah 5:5

My happy thought that we might actually have Peace on earth was followed by an, "Oh no!  Peace WAS on earth, but Jesus went back into heaven!"  But then I thought of the verse that says,

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."  John 14:27

I like how the NLT version phrases it too, 

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

"For Christ himself has brought peace to us. ... He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.  Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross... He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.  Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us." Eph. 3:14-17

You know when God says something to you really clear?  It doesn't happen (at least to me) often, but everywhere you turn, it's blaring loud, staring you in the face?  Like my verse God gave me for the new year:

"And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful."  Colossians 3:15

I can tend to stress, worry even, about little or big things.  Things like missing so much work because of being sick. :P  So this is the verse that I am hanging onto and trying to obey.  If we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have Christ's Peace ("my Peace I leave with you..."), and that Peace should be ruling in my heart! :)

Here's my Christmas and New Year's wish to you:

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation." 

2 Thess. 3:16

Wasted strawberries, Wasted life?

Why don't I ever learn??!  Strawberries in the fridge do NOT last for a week.  It does not matter if you are waiting for the perfect pancake breakfast to have them with; they do not wait, they mold.  Yes, white fuzzy mold, and sour - horribly sour (rotten)!  But they are a whole $1.98 too special to eat right away!  Well... saving them for a special occasion doesn't make them any sweeter!  *sigh*  Reminds me of my childhood when I would save my Christmas stocking candy canes for entirely too long.  Like, 364 days - until next December long.  Then I would realize that fresh ones really taste better!  Hmmm... what is it with me and saving red food-stuffs??? ;)

God talks about it in the Bible too, with the parable of the talents.  Burying a hole and keeping it was not a good thing to do with it.  It needed to be used, invested and bringing in a greater return!  Or like the rich man who had so much stuff he needed to build bigger barns - just to store more stuff!  He was stingy and wasn't giving any of it away or using it for good purposes himself.  God fixed that.  The rich man died and all his belongings were given to be enjoyed by the poor!
I'm not really sure what lesson I'm supposed to learn from this, because I know that for some things it is good to save (like money for emergency fund, car, college, house, etc.).  Taken to some extent and with a grain of salt, of course, what God has given us here on this earth we need to ENJOY and invest it for the Kingdom because it won't last forever!

I listened to this great sermon today... What talents have I been gifted with that are sitting around and not being used?  I missed having really yummy strawberries!  What's worse yet is that I feel so bad for wasting almost $2 on food gone bad... How can I live to make sure I don't waste my LIFE.  Jesus says that he who tries to save his life will lose it (goes for strawberries and candy canes too) but those who give up their lives and follow Him will not be ashamed of how they have 'spent' their life when Jesus comes back again!  [Matt. 16:24-28, Mk 8:34-38, Luke 9:23-27]

Behold, the lesson of the strawberries... DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!