God won't give you more than you can handle.

This is another one of those platitudes that I hate.  What makes it worse is that this one is based in scripture, so everyone takes it as true. (I'm not going to get into a scriptural discussion here.  I'll just leave it as I think it's been constantly misinterpreted)


It doesn't make sense, though, that God wouldn't allow us more trials than we can handle.  What are the purpose of trials?  As anyone religious and they'd tell you that we have trials to make our faith stronger.  Okay, that I can accept, it's held true in my life.  But think of it, when someone is trying to build muscle strength, do they stop at what they can handle?  No.  They push until they go past what they can handle.  During training, they tear their muscles.  And when those muscles heal and build themselves back, they are stronger than they were before.  So then, why would God not allow us anything we can't handle if we are to become stronger? 


I can't handle this.  I said it my entire life, especially after the death of Kade.  I held that scripture that I spoke of earlier as a comfort.  I would never lose a child because I couldn't handle it, and God would never give me more than I could handle.  I felt so betrayed when it happened.  I felt like I had been lied to.


There's something really important to remember though.  God doesn't expect us to handle our trials alone.  Every day of the last 4 years, 3 months, and 4 weeks, has been more grief than I could ever expect to handle alone.  But I haven't been alone.  I have never been alone.  I have felt God in my life.  Like in the poem Footprints In The Sand, I have been carried.  He has given me His strength, and He can handle all things.  So it's not that He won't give me more than I can handle, but He will give me the strength - His strength - to handle anything that comes my way.


"I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." John 14:18
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things" Alma 26:12