Most of us have heard, the quote that God does not give us more than we can bear.  At times, the baskets we are carrying break from the load of life’s burdens. That happened to me only a few days ago. As I laid in an ambulance, after having my car totaled, I telephoned my daughter, living in another state.  As my tears fell, I said, “I now have to find a heavy rope, for the events of today have broken my basket. I need a rope to drag it.”

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog and within minutes of hitting the “publish” button, I received a sarcastic comment about the blog. I chose to delete the initial blog and wrote another, apologizing  for being “candid” about the challenges of life. I then received positive feedback for being transparent and for sharing how God intervenes.  The accolades encouraged me. Life at times is difficult, but we can give God the glory for carrying our baskets.

While I was a university teacher,  receiving evaluations from the students each semester, I carefully read each comment. I always understood there would be negative feedback from students not receiving their desired grade. Negativity is to be expected in our lives for we can’t please everyone. My gauge of success as a college teacher was when the positive comments outweighed the negative.

For some of us, our lives have many more challenges than blessings. Yet, it is how we choose to endure which makes us failures or successes. I vividly recall being in a BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), lecture when the leader noted one of the participants had come up to her and said there must be something wrong with her life (the participant).  The lady shared with our leader, she was in her sixties and had never had even one negative life event.  She experienced a wonderful childhood and upbringing with loving parents and siblings, an incredible husband and marriage, caring and loving children, financially successful and never an illness. Her life had been what others would consider “perfect.”

It may seem unfair that many people go through life with very few difficulties. When they do encounter challenges, they are quickly resolved and quite minor. At times, I pour my heart out to God, as to why some people receive countless blessings while others struggle with daily life. Charles Stanley reminds us, “whatever the hardship, there is one overarching choice we have to make-to move toward God, or away from Him. There is no standing still. There is no neutral option. Adversity forces our path to split before us, and we will either walk with God or turn down a lonely road without Him.”

God knew before He allowed these problems the persons that would handle them with grace and dignity and use them for His glory and those that would become bitter and angry. James 1:12 NKJ “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”