Hoping (and coping)

"God never gives you more than you can cope with," so the saying goes. Who made up this aphorism? It's insidious, anti-theistic nonsense. It is, I suspect, a bad interpretation of 1 Cor 10:13. But it's a terrible thing to say, especially to people who are going through a great deal of stress and anxiety.

The saying appears to be an interpretation (though not a very good one!) of the writings of St Paul—who, in fact, said the precise opposite: life (not God) will throw all manner of ‘crap’ at you, and the very fact that you can't cope with it is likely to make you realize your need of God. (For sensitive souls: please note that I am quoting St Paul directly when I use the word "crap". He wrote it himself. If "crap" is too strong a word for you, an alternative translation is "shite".)

When life throws stuff at you that you feel you can’t cope with, it’s awful, it’s bad luck, and there is every reason to cry for help (from God, of course—but bearing in mind that it’s very often people who bring the help our way). God does not send us bad stuff. He doesn’t send suffering to make us stronger, nor to test us, nor to punish us. Not at all. What the scriptures reveal is that God stands beside us in suffering. He doesn’t send suffering, but He does give us hope. Hope against hope, sometimes. But hope is what keeps our head above the water until the storm abates.