In times of stress or sadness I have heard people say, “God does not give us more than we can bear”. While this is well meaning, I am not sure if it is true.
At times people have quoted to me a paraphrse of 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT. It says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Notice the context, it is talking about temptation to sin, not suffering. He is saying when tempted, He will provide a way for us not to sin.
I know in my own life I have experienced many times of pain, suffering, depression, anxiety, stress, family illness or death of a loved one, that I thought were way too much for me to bear.
In these times I had to look to God and pray, “Lord help me”. I cried out with all of my heart and asked Him to ease the pain of the situation. Sometimes He did…and sometimes He helped me to get through.
The reality of this life is that suffering is a part of life. And God allows pain and suffering to grow us in our faith and trust in Him. I know my relationship with Him would not be the same if I did not go through what I have been through.
James 1:2-4 NLT Tells us plainly when it says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
For our faith to grow and for us to come to maturity, we need some sort of testing to stretch us and allow growth to take place. As hard as this is, it might include pain, suffering, depression, anxiety, or some other struggle.
So, does God give us more than we can bear? Yes He does at times. But it is for our growth and to bring us closer to Him. The key is to run towards God in hard times, not away from Him. He will give us more than we can bear alone, but never more than we can bear with Him.