I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.

That exact phrase isn’t in the bible. I think it is, probably, a paraphrasing of 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

To say that God won’t give us more than we can handle is an ok paraphrase of God’s intent, however it is not completely the case. God regularly gives us more than we can handle. God wants to push us out of our comfort zone and strengthen our faith.

Faith is like a rubber band; it only works when it is stretched. Have you ever found an old rubber band in a drawer and then used it only to find that it has no elasticity and snaps? What a waste. It was lying in a drawer never being put to use, never being stretched. And, when the time finally came, snap.

God wants to put us to use. We are supposed to be stretched. And, when the time comes that we are tested, we are tested beyond our strength. How else will we grow?

If every trial and test that came into our life was within our ability to handle, we would never turn to the Lord. We would never seek out His Church and His people. We would rely fully on ourselves. But, in the stretching, in the trials beyond our ability, we turn to God and our faith is bolstered. In fact, in seeing our inability and watching God’s ability we are comforted knowing that this trial and all else to come are no match for our God. And, since there is no trial beyond the ability of our God who strengthens us, we will never be tested beyond that which we can handle.

‍