“God will not give you more than HE can handle." ~ I
Cor. 10:13
It started with an ugly
argument. Bankruptcy was lurking; the
lifestyle they’d enjoyed until now would end soon. Plenty of blame to go around.
Words flew from her mouth that she’d never thought before, let
alone verbalized. In that instant their
relationship shattered into glassy shards. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Craig knew that when tensions escalated, he should inject
love instead of anger, but sometimes it just wasn’t that easy with Carol. So he went outside and began taking the Christmas
lights down.
Their financial crisis was Carol’s official excuse for wanting
a divorce but mostly she couldn’t stand the sadness anymore. After 34 years of marriage, their love had
changed, become flatter. Craig, too, felt
emotionally drained - nothing left to feel, nothing left to say, nothing left
but the void that clouded his brain in darkness. Then things got worse … when he slipped off
the ladder.
Emergency surgery would nearly repair Craig’s back, but a
lengthy homebound recovery left him alone for perhaps the first time in his
life. The bedroom window had been his
only connection to the outside world.
The phone seldom rang and the door remained shut except when the home
nurse checked on him or his daughter stopped by with groceries.
Things got even worse when a letter arrived from his
employer announcing a “restructuring.” At
age 55, his job had been eliminated. He
recalled something his mother had once said, “God doesn’t give you any more
than you can handle.”
“What crap!” he thought.
Solitude offered plenty of time for reflection, for penance,
for prayer. Since he couldn’t get down
on his knees, he talked with God while on his back. First he begged for answers, “God, why me?” Further consideration led him to “Help me,
Lord.”
When he received a phone call from a (now) former coworker
who’d called to see how he was doing, the conversation turned to the hardships
she was facing in her own life.
Craig listened thoughtfully as her situation seemed
unexpectedly similar. They found solace
in shared Christian beliefs. Despite
their struggles, they trusted God completely; confident that their faithfulness
would be rewarded on the other side of eternity.
A budding friendship evolved – one that would help heal them
both - not by commiserating, but by consoling, by restoring. Years later they would marry, find new jobs
and live forever grateful.
The promise of Scripture doesn’t pretend that we won’t go through
hard times. What Scripture does promise is that at all times, good
and bad, God is ready to helps us handle what we’re given.
He also wants us to turn towards each other. We are here as God’s answers to prayer; to
help one another face things that are more than we can possibly handle alone.
God my Father, bless me with strength when I’m
weak, courage when I’m scared, direction when I’m lost and humility when I’m
victorious. Amen
