A few Sundays ago, during our Lord’s Supper service, our praise team sang a song I had never heard..and it hasn’t left me since then. Part of the lyrics go like this:

“This life is not my own, oh this life is not my own. I am His, and His alone, this life is not my own. I was bought when Love was slain, what I cost, to pay death’s wage. Now ransomed, I am freedom’s slave, my Jesus raised me from the grave.” (by Selah)

Thursday of this week, we had a tragedy in our community that I posted about, and my post apparently hit a nerve because in just a few days its gone viral. I’ve never had that happen, and I was startled and overwhelmed by it. It was a tragedy because a woman made a horrible decision to pass a stopped school bus, hit two brothers, and one of them died. It has been tough…very tough. That one decision on her part has altered the lives of so many different people that it is staggering. And that lead me to this blog.

This life is not my own. I am sure many of you were taught the same thing I was as a child. Actions have consequences. Always. There is no escape. Bad actions generally lead to bad consequences, and vice versa. And like most people, I didn’t appreciate the wisdom of that until years later when I experienced it in my own life..usually through bad decisions, but sometimes through good ones. I am not alone. The vast majority of us have come to terms with this, and are fairly wise in our choices and actions. We make sacrifices, and give, and help others. We put ourselves second, third, etc and live in service to each other.

However…this life is not my own. If you are not a born again child of God, the meaning of this statement stops with the paragraph above. But if you are, it has a whole new meaning. Jesus died for us, and therefore we are NOT our own. We belong to Him, and that brings us into a whole new way of living. Our perspectives change, and we begin to understand Who we live for, and Whose we are. And Who, in today’s terms, is #1..and it’s not us!

“I an His, and His alone”. There are so many days when I get tired of myself. Tired of my struggles, my plans, and my abilities to live this life. So many times, at the end of the day (or week) I see where I have been selfish, preoccupied with what I want, and striving for me and my plans. And because I am human, and not God, and because I am subject to my own failings and shortcomings, I end up frustrated, tired, and empty. And then I realize that I have not been living for the One that owns me.

Which is why I love this song. And why it has stuck with me. Another part of the lyrics say “this world is not my home, my home’s been made at Heaven’s throne.” That is a true statement. Every Christian has an eternal home, with the Lord, and some days I just can’t wait to get there! There is great peace and calm in knowing that. There is also encouragement in realizing that some day I will be on the other side of this life, and it will all make sense.

But. Until then, this life is not my own. It belongs to Jesus. I owe Him my life, my plans, my dreams, and my full attention to His plan and purpose. And just like this bad decision this week has devastated our community, the decision to live my life for Him and His glory can totally change my community for ultimate good, and hopefully, prayerfully, point others to the same Owner..to begin their own relationship with Him.

I want that. I crave that. I so long to think that after I have left this world, that God will have been glorified by my being here. That He will be pleased that He created me, and that His death on the cross, resurrection, and giving new life to me through Him was what people saw the most, and remembered the most.

Did I mention that my post went viral? And that over 90,000 people now know this woman’s name and what she did? How about if our lives go viral, and hundreds of thousands of people find out what HE did! Wouldn’t that be amazing??

It took forever..really..but it finally happened. Someone finally took one of those aggravating, unrealistic, sayings and turned it on its head with the Word of God. And I am very, very excited to share it. I’m not sure when this particular one started..I could probably research it and find out…but that’s not the point of this blog.

Because here’s the reality. Yes. YES. Yes, He does. YES He does give us more than we can handle. Regularly. Often. And maybe just in my life, I don’t know, but…usually! There are very few days that I feel like I only have just enough to handle..very few. And that, believe it or not, is just how God intends it.

The theory behind this saying is not all bad. It’s a statement generally used to encourage..especially for those facing great moments of trial and suffering. I’ve had it said to me, and in the past I’ve said it to others. But then..God allowed me to see the error in it. He used a sermon on depending on Him, and a Bible study also on dependence to open my eyes and my heart. And this is what I learned..that if He never gives me more than I can handle, why do I need Him??

Isn’t that amazing? I had never thought about that. I had never been shown what it looked like from God’s perspective…and I was stunned. I grew up in the 70’s, when it was all about independence..especially for women. “I am woman, hear me roar” was the battle cry of feminists, and they were everywhere. I waa taught to be self-dependent, a hard worker, and not to be reliant on much for my life. And unfortunately, it was also accepted at church.

Now that’s not all bad. But somewhere in the midst of all that, dependence upon and trust in God got very very blurred. And for a lot of people, it has remained that way. A very prominent viewpoint today is “I am in control of my life, I make the decisions, and even though I am a born again believer, I really believe God just wants to consult and offer guidance in my life”. Which is EXACTLY what this quote reflects. It basically says, “I am handling my life, therefore God will never give me more than I can handle”. And that is SO wrong.

For the purpose of this blog, let’s just deal with the biggies..illness, death, financial loss. In the past year I have known many, many people who have been slammed by one or all of these. Perfectly healthy people (they thought) dying or being diagnosed with terminal illness. A friend who has worked all their life only to lose their ability to work and now faces financial ruin. A friend whose husband left her with the kids and the bills and one salary. Another friend whose son drowned on a fishing trip. These are things that are “more than we can handle”..especially when more than one comes together. Anyone who tells you they aren’t is fooled. How does this quote fit that? And how does it make God look? Like He doesn’t care? Like He made a mistake? Or like He’s just being super vindictive towards that person?

Scripture assures us this is not the case! All through the Bible God’s purpose for our lives is made perfectly clear..we are created in His image, and made to bring Him glory. Period. And the only way Scripture says we bring Him glory is when we are fully surrendered to His will, and desperately dependent on His grace and mercy. It is only when we are weak that God can be strong in us. And it is only when He is strong that He can really use us. If not, then we are handling our life and its issues on our own..with our pitiful, limited resources..and completely ignoring God, His plan, and His power. And usually WE are the ones getting the glory!

So..do you want to believe that God will never give you too much? And that you are fully capable of dealing with everything on your own? I don’t! I am the child of a great big God. I don’t have to be responsible for handling my life..I fully surrendered that to Him at the cross. I know that HE will keep me, guide me, and lead me through things I cannot imagine or cannot forsee. He WILL give me too much..and then HE will deal with it, and carry me through to the other side. Then HE will get the glory, and I will have the privilege of praising Him!