God and Problem Solving

          There is a statement made often to people who are in trouble.  “God won’t give you any more than you can handle.”  That certainly sounds good, and I know that it is meant to be comforting, but I have known lots of people who have had to deal with much more than they could handle.  Bills that can’t be paid, relationships that crumble, the news is full of episodes where people who are overwhelmed sometimes turn to crime to solve their problems.   Suicides and murders seem to multiply in our culture.  There are many people who are overwhelmed by the problems that they face.  Anyone who has listened in counseling to people with difficulties knows that being overwhelmed is one of the principle problems that we have in this world.  Think about your own life and the lives of those around you and it doesn’t take long before you see how overwhelming life can sometimes be. 

I think that this idea that we won’t be given more than we can handle comes from Paul’s words in the tenth chapter of first Corinthians:  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.         

            I don’t want to be seen as arguing with the bible, but this is another example of how scripture can be used to justify almost anything.  One of the largest quandaries that we have with the bible is how random verses are picked out of it to tell us what the speaker wants us to believe.  I am reminded of the current turmoil over sexuality, how people quote verses from Leviticus or Paul’s epistles to provide what they believe is the final word of God on this subject.  I have seen how that kind of absolute bible quoting can hurt people and hurt them badly.  I know that it is possible to find great comfort and hope in the bible, but single verses completely out of context isn’t usually very helpful.

            When we take the bible as a whole, as the story of God’s creative spirit working to redeem creation, it is possible to understand what God can do for all of us in the more troubling moments of our lives.  Jesus tells us the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul and your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like unto it; love your neighbor as a person like yourself.  If you want to pick out a random verse of scripture to tie to your life, this is the one that I would recommend.  The reason that I think that this works in the most difficult moments of our lives is because it moves us toward community.  Community is what ties us together as a whole and gives us access to each other and what we need.  Community is what the church is all about.  We come together not only to worship our God, but to know each other.  There is nothing more important on Sunday morning than the gathering of the people in unity before the altar of God. 

            I have always believed that coffee hour, which has been described as the “eighth sacrament” is one of the most important times to gather that is offered by the church.  This is where we can informally share our lives with each other.  Pastoral care is the primary offering that clergy provide.  Counseling and caring is primary in the life of the church.  All of us have to participate in this.  Caring for each other becomes a function of the work of not only the clergy, but of all of us who belong to the community of God.  When we have each other, we have the greatest gift that God can bestow. 

            It has always been a miracle to me how problems can be solved when we tell each other what they are.  People who have no transportation discover that there are those who are willing to help; people who finally can tell someone that they have overwhelming financial or family problems can discover that there are ways that these things can be helped.  This happens only in community, when we know each other and trust each other so that we can share our deepest problems. 

             This is at the last, what loving means.  It is how we share our lives with each other and find common solutions to our various problems, and the struggles that we have in our community.   This is what I believe that we are about as Christians, and how God moves in this turbulent world.