Bad Religion (caution there is some swearing)

I heard it today, a phrase that always enrages me.

It came from some poor soul, labouring, struggling, crumbling underneath a tragedy. Her husband died a month ago. Then yesterday her son tells her that he is gay. She tells me this and then she says, "I know the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle, but . . . "

I wanted to shoot someone (the someone who came up with this) I think this is the biggest load of bullshit, misinterpretation of God's character I've ever heard. I mean try saying this to Gideon. What do you think he might say back? Can we honestly look at those circumstances and say "you can handle this Gideon." No, and that is the point. We can't and God went to great lengths to prove that.

If you look at the whole Biblical Narrative, God is saying pretty often, pretty clearly that He is the one who is going to do the saving, that we can't do the saving, that we need to confess our dependency on him, that we need to repent of "handling" it.

And what does handle mean anyway. I get the idea that we think we ought to stay sane and stable under these tragedies, keep our perfect demeanor's, a cheery outlook. Say "oh thank you Lord, for these painful things." When really we may be pretty angry, at him even.

All I'm saying is it's a lie. If we think we need to bear up and handle it then we miss what God might really want from us. We will miss the chance for God to comfort us in our lament. We miss the chance to speak honestly to God about our anger and for him to speak honestly back. Do you really think he isn't aware that you're angry. And if we think that we ought to be one way, even that God is requiring we be that way, then how do we ever get to the other side, all the way through to his redemption and his embrace.

I happened to come across the verse that I think people take so wildly out of context and get this "bearing" idea from. It's 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

I hope that is clear enough, the bearing is about temptation (and even here, God says you can't handle it all so I've made a way for you.) It's not about bearing the pain of being orphaned, or widowed, or estranged. Which are states the he clearly says we are to have the utmost compassion for and for whom the rest of us are to give our lives in service to.

I just feel incensed by these kinds of pious, religious sounding messages. The kingdom is about God bearing for us. The Kingdom community is about us bearing with each other.

I know you probably all get this. I just needed to say it.