I hate the phrase: "God does not give us more than we can handle."
I'd like to tear it up in little pieces, eat it and be rid of it forever.
The truth is that God does not give us evil. He does not place the devil in our midst or cancer in our brains. He does not give us children to have them suffer nor does he give us rapists and child killers.
God does not invite the Devil to a party and say: "Hey child, you got this. "
It is simply is not true.
I've long been obsessed with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God's first people--created perfectly. Then a serpent slithers in and bam:
All bets are off.
Good and Evil exist and at times are intertwined in our minds and bodies. God and the Devil exist: but make no mistake those two do not cooperate. And while some of us may take some bizarre comfort in thinking that God puts obstacles in our lives to challenge us and test us; I don't believe that is the truth.
What God does is walk beside us; He gives us the tools and the insight to get through challenges.
I think back to the days of Lily's diagnosis and I remember asking God: Wasn't her seven weeks in the NICU enough for you. Why me? Why Lily?
I specifically remember a moment of clarity and sensing that His answer was just like my own:
"I don't know why."
I am never sure if God truly is all-knowing. It is a piece of my faith that I struggle with: but I do know that God is all knowing about good, about strength and about what is right.
God does not hand us Evil. He does not pass out brain tumors like candy to those who need to learn a lesson or those He believes can handle it. He does not allow the murder of children to prove a point about our dangerous world. God stopped human sacrifice with Christ.
God does not give us things to handle.
What God does give us:
The tools to handle those things that evil has dumped on our doorstep. The resolve to fight and conquer evil. The voices and ears and eyes to be alert and be vigilant. And two knees to kneel on and ask with every breath: how God, am I going to get through this?
Today's Yoke was inspired by Autumn Pasquale, a 12-year-old who was found dead in a recycling container about 15 miles from my home. May Autumn rest in peace and may Autumn's family find peace and justice. It is unimaginable and the deepest of monstrosities.
I'd like to tear it up in little pieces, eat it and be rid of it forever.
The truth is that God does not give us evil. He does not place the devil in our midst or cancer in our brains. He does not give us children to have them suffer nor does he give us rapists and child killers.
God does not invite the Devil to a party and say: "Hey child, you got this. "
It is simply is not true.
I've long been obsessed with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God's first people--created perfectly. Then a serpent slithers in and bam:
All bets are off.
Good and Evil exist and at times are intertwined in our minds and bodies. God and the Devil exist: but make no mistake those two do not cooperate. And while some of us may take some bizarre comfort in thinking that God puts obstacles in our lives to challenge us and test us; I don't believe that is the truth.
What God does is walk beside us; He gives us the tools and the insight to get through challenges.
I think back to the days of Lily's diagnosis and I remember asking God: Wasn't her seven weeks in the NICU enough for you. Why me? Why Lily?
I specifically remember a moment of clarity and sensing that His answer was just like my own:
"I don't know why."
I am never sure if God truly is all-knowing. It is a piece of my faith that I struggle with: but I do know that God is all knowing about good, about strength and about what is right.
God does not hand us Evil. He does not pass out brain tumors like candy to those who need to learn a lesson or those He believes can handle it. He does not allow the murder of children to prove a point about our dangerous world. God stopped human sacrifice with Christ.
God does not give us things to handle.
What God does give us:
The tools to handle those things that evil has dumped on our doorstep. The resolve to fight and conquer evil. The voices and ears and eyes to be alert and be vigilant. And two knees to kneel on and ask with every breath: how God, am I going to get through this?
Today's Yoke was inspired by Autumn Pasquale, a 12-year-old who was found dead in a recycling container about 15 miles from my home. May Autumn rest in peace and may Autumn's family find peace and justice. It is unimaginable and the deepest of monstrosities.
i dont know His reasons either. I do know that He is all powerful and all knowing and that while we might not know the reasons we might not be on a need to know basis. It sucks but whaddaya gonna do, argue with the Creator?
ReplyDeleteI've been known to argue with God. Is this bad? LOL.
DeleteI am with Pam. There is good and there is evil. As long as there is good and there is evil, there will be pain and horror in this world. Ultimately good WILL triumph over evil. It just may not be on our terms and when we would love to see it. As people we feel so helpless when we can't find answers or fixes. Sometimes we have to trust and that is not easy.
ReplyDeleteI believe in God and then in turn the Devil. Which is a strange thing to say--right? But good will triumph: we just have to work through it all, i suppose. thanks to you both for commenting. xoxo.
ReplyDelete