Had a quick email exchange yesterday with a friend from afar, who was asking questions about God, and life I guess. The fairly common question was being asked, "Does God give us things that we can't handle, things that are too big for us to cope with?" I think this was possibly in the light of my own struggle, of late, with the black dog of depression.
First of all, if God does "give us things", then the scriptural reply would be that, no, God will never give us anything that we can't handle, tapping into the power God supplies us with, although if that's true, then I think that God sometimes chances his arm a bit at times! I love the prayer I try to use every morning. It's a statement, really, said at the end of my Morning Office. "Today, Lord, nothing is going to come my way that you and I can't handle, together!"
However, I don't tend to believe that God "gives us" things!! Life will throw all sorts of things at us that can seem unbearable. Tragic things happen. Cancer, the death of a child or loved one, unemployment, bankruptcy, and mental illnesses that the population finds hard to comprehend. However, I'm sure God doesn't zap any of that stuff into our lives.
What God does do is give us the strength to see things through, and we come out of things, get over them, because of the strength and power which S/He gives us. Afterwards we will wonder how we coped!
For those of us who have visited the darkness of addiction, we will be friends with this word "powerless". In my days of heavy-duty active alcoholism, I have to say, no human power could have helped me, though many tried and failed. I had to find a "Power" outside of myself, a Higher Power if you like to relieve me from the insanity of my actions.
I believe it's the same with all the "heavy duty" stuff that comes our way. We must find this power outside of ourselves, whatever you call it, however you understand it, to help us deal with the tragedy of life at times. (Simply because of our powerlessness, and our inability to do it ourselves.)
It's something I had to be reminded of at the weekend. I am powerless over my father and his illness. There is nothing I can do. There is no human power, far less a Social Worker, who can reach down and raise a magic wand for him, or for me for that matter.
It is when we realise our total powerlessness in the face of people, places and things, that we can then be set free. We are set free to handle our own lives, which with my Higher Power beside me, will throw nothing in my path that is insurmountable.
As you noted, the admission that one is powerless is the start.
And your father won't admit that will he? Won't even talk about it, right?
It's the hardest thing to do.
See, what God gave us and others who help us is a brain! And I know it's a simplistic way to think, but when God "gives" me things too big to handle, I give it to Jesus. Works almost every time. ;-)