God does give us more than we can handle

Last Saturday morning we once again stood at a gravesite for a very tiny baby. He was born - and died - at 15 weeks gestation and weighed just 1.2 ounces. Simon was buried alongside his brothers Zack and Toby who were born -and died - in 2009.

So many times in these past two years people have said "God will only give you as much as you can handle." It is often followed by "I just wish He didn't think I can handle so much."

But this time it's different. This time Sarah realized that indeed God DOES give us more than we can handle - at least more than we can handle ALONE. He gives us what we can handle with HIS help! She shared this insight with me, and I am so glad she did. I no longer want to give people the false idea that God will never give us too heavy a load.

So often we try to do things our way, planning and making decisions with our own knowledge and abilities and strength. Then eventually it all falls apart. Finally we ask God to help us and He picks up the broken pieces. ("All things work together for good" usually finds its way into the conversation at this point.)

Now consider what happens when we do things by praying FIRST and asking God what HE would have us do - and how. We may encounter obstacles and challenges, but God will help us through them. He has a plan!

Back to the original thought - how much can we handle? How much can we handle alone? How much can we handle with God's help?

Last week we were playing mini-golf and a family behind us included a small girl. On some holes she wanted to do it by herself. On others, she asked her Daddy to help. On the solo holes her ball often ended up in the water or on another hole altogether! But when she let her father help the ball went nearer to the actual target.

There are many tasks in life that God gives us to do. If we ask, He will gladly help us. And like the father at the golf course, He will also stand back and let us go it alone if we so choose. He will also be there to pick us up and carry us when we get tired and finally ask for His help.

Which of course brings us to the most well-known analogy: Footprints in the Sand. Who cannot bring to mind that picture of the footprints on the beach? Who cannot recall that there are two sets of footprints in some places and only one in others. What does the poem tell us? Those single prints were from the times God carried us. Those were the times when we realized that we could not handle life alone - that we needed God to be The Strong One.

We are not strong unless He is strong... remember the song from your childhood? It is just as true today: " ... I am weak but He is strong..." indeed Paul wrote that it is only when we find our strength in God that we are strong, and we must admit our weakness first.

My prayer for you - for myself - today is that we will lean on God and let Him be strong.

Remember there's nothing God and you can't handle together!