A Way Out

I remember hearing someone say once that, "The Bible says that God won't let anything happen to me that I can't handle... and since I couldn't handle having a baby with a disability, I don't think God will ever let that happen to me." ... that's pretty messed up thinking. I mean, seriously, things happen to people all the time that they probably thought that they couldn't handle. That's just the reality of life!

I thought of this conversation because last night, at group, we talked a bit about the Bible verse that this person was referring to, 1 Corinthians 10:13, "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."

First, it's interesting how we often take Bible verses like these and twist them into meaning something that it really doesn't mean. i.e. "God won't let anything happen to me that I can't handle." Umm...not even close!  This verse is actually addressing our struggle with sin - 'temptations' - not difficult life circumstances.  And, whatever the struggle is that we are facing - God is allowing us to face it because he knows that we can handle it.  "You can stand" as the verse says.

Second, and this is some of what we talked about last night - God always provides us a way out in our struggles. Not that our struggles will just disappear if we pray harder & harder, but that God will show us a way out so that we don't have to give into our struggles any longer.  And often, the way out that God provides for us is found in.......wait for it......EACH OTHER!  Real community. Open and honest friendships. People who care about us and want to see God's best for us.  Unfortunately, too many of us struggle alone - in isolation - hoping that God will just some how heal us and take away our struggles. Too many Christians think that faith is only an individual/personal thing.  Meanwhile God is waiting for us to take the initiative and to reach out to the community of people that he has placed around us and to say that four lettered word that we all hate to say.... "H-E-L-P!"