Ever heard that old saw, "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle?"

Horsefeathers.

God does not give un anything that He's not prepared to carry us through, every step of the way. God doesn't just know what we need because He's God Almighty and knows everything anyway; He created us, and He also walked the earth as a human being, Jesus, born to a very young mother whose neighbors counted on their fingers to reckon how many months after the wedding that baby showed up. He had to put up with schoolmates who thought He was weird because He never sinned. He lost people He cared about on earth, was rejected by his neighbors and his best friends.

I make this speech again because I have just come back from my Uncle's memorial service. My aunt is one of those Self Reliant New Englanders, who somehow thinks she's supposed to keep everything together and never lose control of herself; who is always taking care of other people. The other day she wondered how long people would want to "babysit" her because she doesn't have it all together. I think on the 17th or 18th or 19th repetition, I finally got across to her that it's ok to let other people take care of you once in a while, and that God doesn't expect her to carry the whole load by herself; He's there for her and He has provided a lot of people who care for her. We read some Psalms together,especially 139.

I appreciate the Navy people who came to help out at the funeral, since my Uncle was a WWII Navy veteran. My aunt had just asked for someone to sound the Bos'n's whistle. They sent the bos'n, a bugler, and a young man who presented the flag; all three of them 19 years old and 5'7 inches tall. They were a very considerate and serious lot. I talked to them briefly afterward; I told them about a few of the Navy careers in our family. They told me a few of theirs; the flag man in particular was proud of his family's service. I said our ancestors made their history; now you're making yours.

mrs james