Over the past thirteen years, I have learned that some things will always remain a constant fact of life: taxes, the overwhelming loudness of toxic members of my fandoms, and the fact that the most overwhelmingly popular way for people to end up on this site via a search engine is by searching for “god never gives us more than we can handle” or “god doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”
I can’t imagine that there aren’t many websites which address that phrase better than I ever could, but if you’ve reached this point, it’s because according to your search results and your choices made regarding them, there aren’t. I’m glad to have you here!
But… There is no such Bible verse! Disappointed?
I hope not.
But if you are? Look, I get it. You hear the phrase a lot, such as when things are getting rough in life. “Cheer up, sister. God isn’t going to give you more than you can handle.” It’s repeated so often by so many people that it not only rings true in the ears of Christians but seems like it could easily be a paraphrased Bible verse.
On the contrary, the phrase has become a platitude, a Christian meme which lacks in both substance and originality.
And on top of that, it doesn’t reflect what the Bible teaches about Christian living.
This post was originally published on 2006-09-06. It has been updated for republication. Comments below may reflect the original version of this content.