"With or Without You": A Reflection on the First Reading for August 12th, 2018: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 19:4-8

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers." 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you." 8 And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

“God will never give you more than you can handle.”

I have heard this saying many times during various struggles in my life. It is definitely a comforting phrase to hear when you are in a stressful state, but is this really true? Does God ensure that we do not surpass the maximum level of distress before hitting our breaking point?
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From my experience, the level of stress that I can endure is directly related to my actions and lifestyle. God has given us the amazing, yet challenging, gift of free will. When I deviate from God’s path for me, I can bring more stress upon myself by not turning to Him in times of need. If we do not trust in God in what we believe are our lowest points in life, we can sometimes feel like we are receiving a lot more than we can handle. In this reading, Elijah asks for God to end his suffering, feeling as though his journey is too much for him to handle. But by seeking God, he receives food and water. God never fails us when we seek Him out. With God’s help, Elijah is refueled and ready to take on the journey that once seemed impossible.

In high school, I was enrolled in a program that involved taking university-level courses when I was in grades eleven and twelve. This was an extremely stressful time for me. With my tendency toward anxiety and perfectionism, I was pretty much in a constant state of stress. I worried about both the quality of my work and getting high enough marks for the university program I hoped to get into. I doubted my abilities and rarely turned to God to ease the stress. My high marks and the reassurance from teachers and my parents was not enough to pacify my worries. I foolishly feared that if I turned my anxieties over to God, I wouldn’t do as well in school. I now know that some of the distress could have been avoided if I had actually trusted God to provide me with the path I needed to be joyful and fulfilled. Now when I lift up my grievances to Him, I get a sense of peace knowing that He wants nothing but the best for me, and that He will never let me down.

I truly believe that if we seek out God in our lives daily, we will have the comfort of never dealing with stress alone. Having a relationship with God does not imply a decrease in stressful situations. However, having God by your side means also having the Greatest Motivator alongside you. God never brings bad things upon us, or gives us more than we can handle. But by being in relationship with Him, we can handle more through His grace and mercy.

​Megan Noye

"... when I lift up my grievances to Him, I get a sense of peace knowing that He wants nothing but the best for me, and that He will never let me down."
- Megan Noye (Ora Reflections)