My entire life I have believed, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." I'm sure you have heard that too. In fact, I can't count the numerous times I have quoted that to others as well as to myself. Today I wonder, is that "name dropping" and "meant to be encouraging" quote even in the Bible? Actually no, it is not. I just checked.
Katie taught me differently about that familiar quote. Katie Davis is one of my new best friends even though we have not hugged yet. At 18 years of age she went on a short-term mission trip to Uganda, Africa. Her life was forever changed and she did not bring her whole heart home. Upon Katie's high school graduation she decided to spend one year in Uganda before beginning college. A little "hiccup" got in the way of coming home and beginning college when Katie adopted 14 breathtaking, Ugandan children.
This is Katie's angle on God not giving us more than we can handle:
"God does give us more than we can handle. Not maliciously, but intentionally, in love, that His glory may be displayed, that we may have no doubt of who is in control, that people may see His grace and faithfulness shining through our lives."Along with Katie, I have found the more I hand over to God "those things I think I can handle", the more I see Him do the insurmountable. It is at that precise time peace floods through me, in fact, more peace and joy than I can handle.
Thanks for reading,
L.
P.S. To read more about my new best friend, check out her awesome book:
Davis, Katie. Kisses from Katie. New York, NY: Howard Books, 2011.
www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com
What I love about sistafriends is how the Lord uses them to challenge the "inside the box" thinking I engage in without knowing it. Thank you for challenging the construct of the "not giving us more than we can handle" belief, and for deconstructing so that it can be reconstructed to more accurately reflect His character and intense desire to love and be intimately involved in our lives. Love you, sistafriend! :-)
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ReplyDeleteI love this, Leslie! I just read that section to Jon last night. I said I think I'm going to change that quote to, "God doesn't give us more than HE can handle." I love, love, love Katie's story.
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