TJNS: Never More than You can Handle

Things Jesus Never Said: 

"God will never give you more than you can handle." Or... "God only gives you what you can handle."

For as often as we say these words to one another, one would think they have to be in the Bible. But... they're not. At least, not that I can find. But please... go ahead and see if you can find. them. I'll wait...

.....

How often have you heard these words told to you? I remember many people saying them to me last year when my husband was in the hospital more often than he was not, and my dad passed away. It was meant as words of encouragement and comfort. It never worked... I usually found myself thinking "What a crock!" - which is rather funny, because I sometimes find myself offering these same words to others.

So, is there any truth to these words, even if they're not in the Bible? In my opinion, no. And I say this for a couple reasons...

God doesn't make us suffer

I truly believe our suffering is not because of God. Death, sickness, injury - these are simply a part of being human. Yes, I suppose we can blame God that these things exist, but I have often heard that when we lose a loved one, it's part of God's plan. Or, when a loved one becomes sick, it's God punishing that person, or us. I simply do not believe this.

When it comes to other suffering - abuse, rape, etc - it's the same thing. It's not part of God's plan for us to suffer. It is not God abusing us for some horrible sin we've committed. It's just the world we live in. We live in a world where love is a word that is abused and misused. We live in a world where it is easier to turn our backs on those in need... those who eventually turn into someone who could abuse or rape another.

This is all caused by simply being human in a broken world. It is not God making us suffer. 

God doesn't give us stuff we are meant to handle alone

The other reason I do not find truth in this common saying is simple. Sometimes, God does call on us to do something which is difficult, and can cause us some suffering and pain and trials. And, if we try to handle these things on our own, we simply can't. So it could be said "God often gives us more than we can handle."

But, we're not meant to handle any of this on our own. As I stated in my previous two posts, God is always with us. Unfortunately, we often forget this, assuming the feat placed before us we must do without His help. Or, we simply forget He's there. But, when we do remember, and when we do turn to Him, then the statement is true - He doesn't give us more than we can handle.

Additionally, God has placed us in fellowship with one another. He's given us each other, to help each other. He wants us to reach out to one another. He wants us to let go of the pride we have - that pride which tells us "I can handle this on my own" (which is sure to lead to failure 99.9% of the time) - and turn to others for help.

Together, with each other, and with the guidance of our Lord, we can handle anything God gives us.

TJNS: Hope in Me and Your Depression is Gone!

"Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression..."

One of the women in my Bible Study gave each of us a devotional for a Christmas present. It's a wonderful book, and I am very grateful for the gift. However, as I was reading the devotional for a few days ago, something struck me as just not quite right.

"Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression." This is one thing Jesus never said. Now, don't get me wrong, there is much to be gained from hope. It is one blessing God has given us that provides a lot of comfort, and yes, it even can help us as we go through depression. But the way this one phrase is worded, it brings to mind the thought that we will not get depressed. Ever. If we simply have hope.

This can be dangerous!

Do you, or someone you know, suffer from depression? I'm not talking about the simple down and outs we all get from time to time, but rather the honest and real medical depression? Many people have depression that comes from a chemical imbalance, or "bad wiring" (as I like to call it) of the brain. Yes, having something to hope in and for can help us to a degree. Knowing we're loved by God or others can help us to a degree. But the medical problem still stands. Sometimes medication is needed. Sometimes it can be managed through therapy. Sometimes faith, hope and love really are all that is needed. Sometimes we just learn to deal with it without medication or therapy. It all depends on the person and the type of depression they have.

When we insist that simply having hope in God will cure our depression, and that depression does not go away - the depression worsens. Significantly. Suddenly...

1. God didn't cure our depression, therefore He must not exist, or just doesn't care.
2. We're obviously not capable of hoping enough, otherwise God would care... if He exists.
3. We're just not worth it... not even to God.

The Truth in the Message

 Three Bible verses accompanied the devotional for the message about hope:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

These are all power scripture verses, indeed! I do not disagree with that one bit. Nor do I disagree with the fact that God is our refuge and strength (or, should be), and that hope is a good thing. We should hope in the Lord to help us through our suffering. But to say that to hope in Him means we will not have physical or emotional suffering? Eventually, yes, that will happen. And yes, until that day comes, we should continue turning to Him in prayer. We should keep praying for and hoping for and reaching for peace and joy.

Just do not let your heart grow weary and cold when your depression is not lifted from you immediately and permanently. Understand that depression is like other diseases - cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. But also understand that while you are suffering, God is there to hold you.

God bless you all, and remember - while this may be one thing Jesus never said, keep hoping in a brighter, peaceful tomorrow.

Things Jesus Never Said

We've all encountered them - well-meaning Christians, telling us things, hopefully with the belief that it'll make our Christian lives better. But, when we search the Bible, we find these things do not truly exist. Jesus never once said them.

This series will examine some of these concepts.

Have you ever had someone tell you that the reason you do not feel Christ's blessings is because you do not have enough faith? Or the reason a loved one is not healing is because not enough people are praying for him/her? Have you ever been told you're depressed, or poor, or in pain is because God doesn't love you? Or because you haven't repented? Or because you don't have enough faith?

Lies.

Yes, we have been fed lies through our Christian faith. And, perhaps those telling us these things didn't mean to lie. They probably don't even recognize them as lies. But, this series will expose them anyway, and hopefully will help you on your journey to knowing Christ.

To find all in the series, please do a tag search for TJNS.

God bless!