If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It

It is finally time to put a stop to one of the most used christian sayings I can think of. I have used it many times and thought it was correct and appropriate. "God will not give you more than you can handle" is one of the biggest lies and stumbling stones for many christian walks. 

If God never gave you more than you can handle, or kept more than you can handle from coming your way, life would look pretty grand, wouldn't it? Imagine a life where you are in complete control of your finances, emotions, health, relationships, etc. Your world would be ordered and perfect. Depression, anxiety, and a vast number of other issues would all but disappear. It really sounds like a world I want to live in, but it does not exist. 

In a world as I described above, there is no real need for God, or at least people wouldn't see the need for Him. God is so often described as a shelter, a refuge, a strong tower, a help in time of need. All of these things imply that when you are at the end of what you can handle, in steps God and his steadying hands support you. 

I am not implying that he is sitting in Heaven, feet up on a foot stool of stars, picking his teeth and watching us move about, only stepping in when we are needed. Some see Him that way, and it saddens my heart. 

Consider parenting. We love our children so much we would literally die for them. We strive to teach them and to raise them to not be little jerks, and to  hopefully be a contributing member of society. We want to keep them from harm, but sometimes the only way to do that is to let them experience a little pain. They have to live their own lives and make mistakes and do things we don't agree with, but that is how they learn.

When my son was learning to walk, I didn't coat him with bubble wrap and line all the furniture with pillows. He fell, he got bumps and bruises and even a couple of bloody lips. Every time he fell, I was there. I assured him he was okay and encouraged him to continue trying, that he was not finished with his learning. Eventually, we got through that phase, together. 

Believing that God will not give me more than I can handle means that when I get to the end of what I can handle on my own, there isn't anyone there to lean on. Believing that philosophy means that, technically, I believe that God has somehow left or abandoned me, sitting back and forgetting about me when things are too tough to take in my own power. Believing this gives Satan too much credit. If God does not give us more than we can handle, then the thing we are going through must be from Satan or even some kind of punishment from God. Believing that also means we think that as God's people we are not going to have to face really tough situations - and we all know that's not true. Yes, some can handle more than others, but does that somehow imply that if you have many hard trials that you are somehow closer to God? 

You see, there are SO many flaws with this saying that is far too overused. 

"If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it" is my preferred saying. It implies a God who is there, beside you, never leaving your side. He walks and talks with us and guides us through even the toughest situations. We really can rely on Him, and when we are in a situation in which we feel beyond our abilities, we know that we have a friend to turn to who knows far more than we do, and can provide help and wisdom when we need it. 

This saying is still encouraging and helps when we are feeling like there is more than we can handle, but the imagery in it is so much better. Not giving you more than you can handle looks to me like a person with a giant pack on his back, and a God who is slowly putting one more rock on, gauging when the person's legs with buckle under him. Then, at the last minute, he steps in and saves the struggling person. Bringing you to it and through it implies to me a boy scout leader, teaching and directing as his students learn new concepts and ideas, some harder than others. He is always there for questions or to offer help or advice, but He can't do all the work for the kids. When they are hiking, or camping, he has the map and guides the kids, when needed, but lets them try to figure things out. 

Of the two sayings, one describes a God who is a dictator and one who is a leader. One reflects free will (He is leading, but we still have to make the decisions to follow, even when we know it is going to be hard) and the other, burden. One reflects the true heart of the Gospel and the other, salvation based on works and one's ability to DO things. 

I am not saying if you use the first one, you are somehow spreading false doctrine, it is a common phrase today, but I choose to not use it and instead try to use the second one. I believe we are all called to be intentional, and that includes the words that come out of our mouth. Sometimes the most innocent of statements can stick with a person.