Beware of this so-called religious slogan: “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

First, it’s not true.

Consider the estimated 200 people who fell from the upper levels of the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 9, 2011, and died. Most of these individuals deliberately jumped to their deaths to escape the smoke, flames, and extreme heat (in some places, estimated at over 2000°F). [By the way, the medical examiner’s office listed the manner of death as homicide (not suicide) for all deaths associated with the 9/11 attacks.] That tragic situation was certainly NOT an act of God; it was way beyond what any of these individuals could endure or survive.

Second, it’s not helpful.

It’s the drama of life (not necessarily God) that often makes a person struggle with hard times. It turns out almost everyone faces something in life that can be described as being “more than a person can handle” on their own. That’s when each of us needs help. Each of us needs emotional support from others. What we don’t need are platitudes, which come across as shallow expressions often spoken to dismiss or simplify complex emotional issues. For example, my memoir clearly shows how such drama in my life became more than I could handle.

Third, it’s not a verse found in the Bible.

(Visual courtesy of ChristianPhotoshops.com)

I’m told some people claim to apply the following verse as the basis for this slogan:

“…God is faithful; he will not let you (plural) be tempted/tested beyond what you (plural) can bear. But when you (plural) are tempted/tested, he will also provide a way out so that you (plural) can endure it.”—1 Corinthians 10:13 (King James Version)

However, take note that the New Testament was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word used here—ὑμᾶς (humas)—is a plural pronoun for “you,” meaning “you all,” not a single individual. So this verse can be understood as Paul’s way of encouraging the early churchgoers in Corinth around 50 AD that, as a group of believers (and by extension the rest of us throughout the ages), they can endure what they construe as unbearable happenings and find solace in their awareness that “it takes a village” to cope with personal disasters and, as Frederick Buechner would say, one “cannot go it alone.”

So why do some people feel compelled to offer this slogan to others in times of despair?

I consider it a throwaway expression, perhaps said with good intentions but simply misguided. Far more helpful would be these words: “I’m here for you.” Or perhaps “Let’s trust in God (the power of love) to give us the strength to work together in rising above such despair.”

The bottom line: Blessed are they who refrain from using this unhelpful slogan.