There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV.
We misquote the above scripture when we say, “God won’t give us more than we can bear,” because this verse says that God will not tempt you above what you can bear. There is a big difference between those two statements. Maybe you have survived a circumstance that was more than you felt like you could withstand, but here you are, enduring and becoming victorious.
A few weeks ago I had a friend visiting from Chicago. It was wonderful to catch up and relax. We drank coffee outside at a little Bistro in D.C and enjoyed a zephyr that carried a hint of autumn. I crave deep conversations with people and I strive to go beyond small talk, even with people I meet in public. This day was filled with meaningful connections.
The subject of me writing a book came up and my husband was encouraging me (yet again) to write.
Being fully transparent, I’ve desired to write for a long time. I do have my Master’s Thesis as an eBook on Amazon (on the book of Lamentations), but that was something I wrote in Grad School to acquire a degree. Yes, it is an accomplishment and I hope one day to structure a series on Lamentations and the subject of grief from my thesis, but I know God is calling me to go a step further and write a book.
So the question was asked, “why haven’t you written a book?”
It was a loaded question…
I pondered an answer and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could process my feelings in actual words.
I said, “Grief is exhausting. I guess I haven’t written anything because I have felt powerless.”
When I said the word powerless, I felt its weight in my soul and I could feel color rising in my cheeks as my eyes filled with tears.
The past few years I have experienced seasons of grief and loss. The first few years of marriage, my husband and I dealt with financial woes and shortly after that, we suffered a miscarriage. Several months after my miscarriage my father had a stroke that has impaired him in more ways than one and I just received debilitating news about a diagnosis concerning one of my closest family members. Through all of that, I graduated with my Master’s Degree, my husband and I began pastoring, Covid-19 hit, and I delivered the most precious baby girl a few months ago. Life’s experiences have been stacked; there have been some high highs and some low lows.
Yes, God is faithful. Yes, He will never leave or forsake me. Yes, He is my strength when I am weak. I love the Lord with everything within me and I am devoted to Him, however, that doesn’t mean that I have not felt sorrows depth in my life.
When I feel like life has given me more than I can bear, I need to turn to the one who can bear all things.
Jesus said to cast all your care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) and assures that His burden is light and calls us to rest in Him (Matthew 11:30). When I lean on the One who holds all power and authority, then I begin to feel empowered, rather than powerless.
I can’t depend on my own strength, especially when I’m enduring a trial that is completely out of my control. God beckons us to lean on Him and to allow Him to be our strength in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
I encourage you to turn to the Lord today and to also find a faithful friend to stand in the gap for you (Ezekiel 22:30) and to help bear your burden (Galatians 6:2). Even Jesus had someone to carry His cross to Calvary—it was too heavy for Him to bear alone.
I would love to pray for you today, please feel free to leave a request below. You are not alone, we are in this together.
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