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Can You Handle It?

Your baby has cancer.

She's not quite a baby anymore, but she's your only child... a miracle birthed from years of infertility and hormone treatments. She is the center of your world. You spent her entire childhood protecting her as best as you could. You prayed for her daily. You raised her up in the ways of the Lord. You've watched her grow into a beautiful young woman who is compassionate and caring. She lights up every room she enters and she truly has been a blessing from God. You are so thankful that God has allowed you a daughter so precious, but there she lies in that hospital bed and you are unable to make it better. This is one boo-boo you can't kiss. You'd trade places with her in a heartbeat,
but God has not granted that request thus far.
She's not upset, but you are.
The mounting medical bills,
the straining to hold onto hope that she will be healed,
the days you've missed at work that have led to excessive worrying about your job security,
your marriage is cracking beneath the pressures of this crisis...
it's all too much.
Your mind keeps playing a loop of something you've heard your whole life
and a seed of resentment begins to grow in your heart.

"God will never give you more than you can bear."

"Why God?! You promised you wouldn't give me more than I can handle.
But this, God?  I can't handle this."

It's something often quoted at the precipice of a difficult time, in the midst of a darkened tragedy, and even when grieving for lost life. Everyone says it. People who don't even believe in God say it. Christians say it, and I don't just mean the people who only attend church on Christmas and Easter, but those who earnestly seek God. And sadly, most all of those who share this phrase with others believe it is true. 

The problem with believing it's true is that it's not.
It's not true at all.

The fallacy above comes from a misinterpretation of Biblical scripture.
That of which I am referring to appears to us in 1 Corinthians 10:13. It reads,
The Bible never states that God won't give you more than you can handle, but rather never more temptation than you can bare, and with that temptation He provides a way out of that temptation. 

What people fail to see is that God does, in fact, quite often, allow us to endure things in life that are way too much to bear. We often face things in life that feel unbearable. The weight of the life's circumstances sometimes feel as if we'll easily be crushed beneath the weight of it all. It's when this happens that those who believe in the saying feel betrayed and lied to.
But these are the moments we were created to press in.
These are the moments we were created to turn to our Creator.
These are the moments we are to devote to prayer, fasting and reading the Bible to
gather our strength from God.

When we take time and dig into God's word for ourselves, we find amazing comfort and strength!!

Psalm 73:26 reads:

Even better are the scriptures we find in Isaiah 40:28-31 which read:

Maybe your baby doesn't have cancer. Maybe that's not the battle you are facing right now.
Perhaps it's finances. It could be employment issues. Maybe it's family troubles. Maybe your marriage is facing some really tough trials. Perhaps it's anxiety or depression. Maybe you're dealing with the loss of a spouse or loved one.
You're not alone.

First and foremost, God is with you. There is a lot of power in prayer. Believe me. I've prayed and prayed until I got an answer. Sometimes we just have to seek His face with unwavering faith and submission to His will for our lives.

There are also people out there who care about you. If you need prayer, feel free to submit a request in the comments. I will pray for you!! We are called to lift each other up in prayer. We need to start being honest with ourselves and with each other. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, but we need to put our sibling rivalry to bed and pick up the compassion we are called to exude.
There is also great power in team prayer!
 The Bible says in Matthew 18:19-20:

My pastor used to say something after he'd give a message that I hope would stick with you as much as it did with me. He said, "Don't take my word for it. See for yourself!"
It's so important to not just take the word of others when it comes to God.
It's our job to open our Bibles (or Bible apps) and see for ourselves.
People are flawed and we make mistakes. Sometimes misquotes about God become sayings that can turn hearts from God. Be careful when you are comforting others by using God's name... be sure what you are sharing with them is Biblical!!

1 Peter 4:11 says:

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