For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

              “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”

              If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’d have a lot of nickels.

              Why do we want to blame God for the bad things that happen in life? I suppose we want to believe there’s some rhyme or reason to the universe. We don’t want to think life is just a collection of random events. Someone must be in charge, right?

              “God has a plan,” Jeremiah says. Surely that means God is in charge.

              But read on and Jeremiah says God’s plan is “for your welfare and not for harm.” God’s plan is to “give you a future with hope.”

              God’s “plan,” known in Process Theology as God’s “initial aim,” is for the flourishing of creation. God’s “plan” is for a world of peace and plenty, a verdant garden flowering with hope and promise. God’s “plan” is for a kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” This is God’s plan.

              And when life interrupts that plan, whether through accident, illness, or human sin, God says, “Come, call upon me, lean on me, and we will walk this journey together.” And God guides us to a new pathway that becomes woven into “the plan.”

              Bad things happen. It’s part of life. When they do, rather than say, “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle,” how about we say, “God gives us the strength, the courage, the hope we need to handle whatever life throws at us.”

              Say that and maybe I’ll give you a nickel.