Did God really say He wouldn’t give us more than we could handle?
I’m pretty sure I’ve never read that in the Bible anywhere, although it definitely seems to be a common understanding among Christians. I wonder if they are thinking of 1 Corinthians 10:13, which is written, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (NIV).
I am obviously not a Bible guru who has all the answers, but in there, I see the word “tempted” (also translated “tested”). Could that mean we will never face trials that we can’t overcome with God’s help? Perhaps. But from the context of the verse, I don’t think that’s what it’s saying here. In my limited understanding, the passage talks about sin and always having a way to avoid it if we choose to. That makes sense to me, even though I don’t often enough take advantage of the way (or ways) out that are provided. They’re always there.
But is it equally true that God will never put us in a situation in which we can’t lose? Will we always have the option of being overcomers? I don’t think so, unless you see death as the ultimate means of overcoming. People are put in situations daily around the world for which there is no way out except death, no salvation. Christians who are doing the right thing are persecuted, imprisoned, executed.
Or what about people who face mental illness? Some people—solid, believing Christians—do break after enough bending. Their minds just can’t take any more grief, stress, hardship.
God is with us. Immanuel. I believe that with every fiber of my being, even on the days when I don’t actively see Him or when I hear about another outrage—another abused child or devastated people group or indescribable loss. God is with us no less.
But I think sometimes people in life do face more than they can handle. I think there are no-win situations. I don’t believe that there is always hope in our mortal lives. I think the only hope we can hold onto is that our mortal lives are just that: mortal--hope that the suffering will end eventually, and we will be ushered into God’s glorious presence.
While there are such things as "no-win" situations, each one of us is responsible for our own actions. So, if the choice is act, and someone dies or don't act and someone else dies, this is what is referred to as a false dilemma. If we find ourselves in a "no-win" situation, it is important to remember that we may have not been the ones to create the situation in the first place. Sometimes, refusing to play the game and simply walking away is the best option. Sometimes refusing to play the game and doing nothing is the best option, and sometimes, no matter what one does he or she is screwed. It is at times like that when choosing to do the most godly, loving thing possible is the best thing to do. Choosing the right thing is always the right thing to do, regardless of the outcome, and that, my friend is what sets up apart in this world.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm not really talking about that type of situation, the one from which you can simply walk away, or one that might be considered a game, nor about one where there is a right choice or wrong choice. I'm talking about people in situations where they have lost the ability to even make the decisions anymore, when there is really no way out. I agree that the best response is to still live--and die--as Christ did. My point is simply that it may ultimately end in death. God *does* let us fall into situations (whether by our own devices or by circumstances outside our control) from which we cannot escape except by dying. I think Christians forget that when they try to make our faith seem like a happy-go-lucky God-is-going-to-save-everyone belief system. That's not biblical.
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