Pondering...

I've been keeping up some with a blog that is being written by the brother of one of my friends from high school. He and his wife lost their unborn triplet boys not too long ago and obviously the blog has taken a different turn from it's initial intent. In one of the recent posts her brother was taking about the things people say during times of death or hardship. And of course the most favorite being the "reminder" that God won't give us more than we can handle. I was reminded how much this sentiment bothers me and how inaccurate it really is!

Let's look at the scripture found in I Corinthians 10:13 that is so widely misused--"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." Folks, it does NOT say God won't give you more than you can handle, it says you won't be tempted with more than you can bear. And when you ARE tempted he gives you a way out. Now, you can call me wrong if you want, but temptations and hardships aren't the same thing. I suppose when we're going through trials we can be tempted to become bitter, angry, etc., but I really don't think this is what this passage is saying. I think it's simply talking about temptations--drugs, alcohol, sex, gossip, overeating, smoking, etc.--and when we're tempted God provides us a way out. 


I know this is going to upset some of you, but the next time you come in contact with someone who is going through something hard, don't tell them God won't give them more than they can bear, because this is not accurate to this passage. Tell them, rather, that God loves them, or tell them you'll be praying for them, or just don't say anything. Often not saying something is more powerful then spewing forth empty words. 


And yes, this has been sort of a rant, but I think an important one, that we must be reminded of. If we're going to quote/use Scripture to encourage others we need to be careful to do so accurately.