“Scarcity and broken relationships aren’t about God finding out what I am made of-God knows what I am made of–it’s the other way around. In or out of friendship, in scarcity or abundance or just enough, my life is about finding out what God is made of” (Brennan Manning).

The whole idea that God won’t give me more than I can handle seems biblical, but it’s not. You can look all you want, but you won’t find it in the Bible. Paul said that God won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to endure, but that’s different.

I think so much of what happens to us isn’t for us to find out how much we can handle or what we’re made of. It’s to find out how much God can handle and what He’s made of. When we’re moderately uncomfortable, God shows up and it’s no big deal (to us anyway). But when we’re at the end of our rope and God intervenes, it means something. It means a whole lot. We learn through experience what we knew in head knowledge and theoretical faith becomes real life faith.

I also remember reading that if you are not grounded in the goodness of God, you will lower your theology to match your pain. God becomes a manageable god who has no real power but is a token of your good will and best intentions.

But the real God is bigger than your pain. He’s bigger than what you can conceive. The Bible says He looks throughout the whole earth to find those whose hearts are unswervingly devoted to Him. God shows up best when we’re at our worst. God shows up mightiest when we’re at our weakest.

That’s the best place to be because that’s the best time for God to show up and do what only He can do and to be what only God can be. That’s when we find out what God is made of — and we worship.