One of the most misquoted verses you’ll never find in the Bible is this one:  “God will never give me more than I can handle.”

Huh?  Really?  Where’s that one?  Poverty, genocide, war, failure, mental illness–  people are given more than they can handle all the time!

Read more of John Ortberg’s thoughts here:  Don’t Waste a Crisis

I have been thinking a lot about suffering and the way God wants us to look more like Christ.  This series on the beatitudes has been pretty intense.  Volitional sadness, Bruised Reeds, Dismantling Enmity.  Jesus keeps putting his finger on stuff we know is there.  Jesus keeps saying–  don’t run from this.  Face it.  Let me walk with you into it.  Ask me to forgive it.  Ask me to heal it.  Ask me to bring restoration.

I’ve wanted to believe that God won’t give me more than I can handle.

But I see him doing it all the time.

I’m tempted to be mad about it.  But Jesus keeps grabbing me–  ‘it will go well with the one who…’

God isn’t at work producing the circumstances I want.

God is at work in bad circumstances to produce the me he wants.