I would venture a guess that you’ve been through a difficult situation at some point in your life. Maybe you are going through a storm right now. Many across our state are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Everyone of us has been through some type of trial. Usually our well-meaning friends or church members will try to encourage us with things like “You will be okay. Be strong. God never gives us more than we can handle.” Maybe you’ve even said that to someone else in the midst of suffering.
Contrary to popular opinion, God does allow us to go though situations that are more than we can handle. BUT, He never allows more than HE can handle. During these times of trial, He is always right there with us, guiding and protecting us through the storms of life. We need to lean into Jesus even more during these times. He wants us to come up close and rely on Him. Study His Word, pray, meditate on scripture and commit it to memory so you can recall it when times get tough.
If God only allowed things that we can handle on our own, we would never need to fully rely on Him. We might get too confident in ourselves. The world tells us that we should be independent and strong...never need anyone else. God’s Word encourages us to gather together with fellow Christians for encouragement and look to Him for our needs. I am so thankful for the many friendships that I have made over the years with our ministers’ wives across the state. I know that I can call on them to come alongside me and celebrate, laugh, cry, support, encourage, and pray with me to our Heavenly Father.
The next time you are in the midst of a trial, remember God is right there. Snuggle up beside Him. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to learn though this time. It may be a time of refining for us. Maybe He is allowing us to learn something that we can use to help someone else later. Maybe he is just drawing us closer to Him.
Ask Him to give you His strength and peace. Remember, He will NEVER give you more than HE can handle.
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Harriet is the wife of Bob Lovett, Pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant, NC. They are blessed with a son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and six grandchildren. She loves to spend lots of time with her husband, kids, grandkids, and church family. She also enjoys working with the teenagers at the school where she works and watching the Panthers play football!