The Breaking Point

"Don't worry; God won't give you more than you can handle." How many times have I heard this lie? How many times have I spread this lie? Too many times to count. There's even a new Christian song on K-Love that says, "I won't give you more more than you can take, and I might let you bend, but I won't let you break." More lies. I think they're well-meaning, but still lies. We all have a breaking point because God wants to eliminate our pride so that we can see our dire need for Him.

Some of you may think, "That's really a lie?" Yes, it is. No verse in the Bible says or implies that God will keep us from calamity, strife, peril, nakedness, or a host of other horrible things. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that when and where we are weak, He is strong. Think about David's life for a second or two. David couldn't handle when Saul sought to take David's life driving David to the wilderness. Ponder Psalm 6:

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
     heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O Lord— how long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
    save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

Ponder Psalm 51 too and a myriad of others David composed during the trials he faced--from being chased by King Saul to facing the consequences of his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. Almost always, David tells of his impossible circumstances whether Saul-inflicted or self-inflicted. Then he begs God to act. David prays in his brokenness, and God saves, restores, disciplines, and/or rebukes.

I have experienced this truth in my own life. For five years, I couldn't handle infertility. I begged God to give me what I wanted because I was so broken over a barren womb. Having children didn't take all the pain from that time away either like most would think; instead, it brought a period of trials and helplessness as a new mother. Then, when I was in survival mode with a two year old and infant twins,  the people I loved and trusted the most betrayed me. I couldn't deal. I didn't want to get out of bed many days, and I have never felt so alone and afraid in my life, yet God was there. I was broken, on my face, having no security underneath me but His Word (literally and figuratively), but God gave me the truth I needed. Just when I thought I had faced everything God could allow to happen to me in this short life, the pit grew deeper still, and more trials came: my grandfather, who was more like my father, died on my wedding anniversary, and then my other grandfather died two months later. I was and am broken over my hurts and struggles, but I am still standing here only by the grace of God. I didn't do anything in and of myself to get through those storms (and many others I've faced) except trust the One who saved me on October 22, 2000 when I was flat on my face crying out for forgiveness for the horrible deeds I had done. He was there in my brokenness then and now. Praise Him!

So as you can see, the circumstances I faced, like David, were more than I could handle whether self-inflicted or not. I have a breaking point, and so do you. Please stop trying to fix your problems thinking you have to be strong enough, and please don't believe the lie that things won't get worse just because you are almost at your wit's end. The pit could grow deeper, yet hope can be found in your seemingly hopeless situation. First, throw away your pride. Then, open your Bible. He can mend the brokenness.