“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 NIV
You have heard the saying when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! Let me ask, what if the lemons are better than the lemonade? Despite their sour, lip-puckering flavor. These oval-shaped fruits have been proven through research to have substances to promote health and well-being.
The Tartness of Lemons
Some of the lemons in my life that I have tasted, alone leave a sour and bitter taste in my mouth.
Being an introvert, it makes me want to run and stay hidden.
Being abused makes me want to not trust and build walls around my heart.
Being slandered, ridiculed and cut down makes me want to remain quiet.
Being broken makes me feel weak and worthless.
Being disappointed makes me not wanting to give all that I have to give.
Being not forgiven leaves me feeling misunderstood and not loved.
Being shamed makes me feel humiliated.
Being afraid holds me back.
Being in despair makes me want to give up.
Being angry takes away the opportunity to love.
Having a low self-confidence means all the above hurts and leaves a sour taste in my mouth. They are lies that bring me down even further. How can one be grateful or even receive some kind of benefit with so many lemons thrown at them?
Choices
It lies in the choice of what you do with those lemons. In order to receive the life saving benefits offered by these lemons. A couple of main ingredients are needed, God and gratitude. Most of the time, I have to take these lemons daily to God. It is through God, that allows me to experience the sweet aroma of His saving grace. He sweetens the taste that without Him would leave me puckered.
He shows this introvert, how to come out of her shell and express her passion for Him. Colossians 3:23
He uses the abuse that she has received to give her discerning wisdom and not run away from trusting at all. Philippians 1:9-11
He teaches her that the ones who have slandered, ridiculed and have cut with their words are in need to hear truths they are not willing or able to hear. He has taught her how to share in grace. Colossians 4:6
He takes what is broken in her to give her His strength to live a life abundantly through Him. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
He uses those disappointments to soften her heart towards Him and has taught her to continue to give of herself anyways.
He reminds her always that all He did, does and will continue to do is because of His love. John 15:12
He uses that shame not to humiliate her but to keep her humble. Ephesians 4:2
He takes that fear away, to make her alive and turns it into joy. John 15:11
He turns that despair into hope, His hope that He gives so freely. 1 Peter 1:3
He turns that anger into forgiveness, allowing her to love once again. 1 Peter 4:8
He uses these lemons as the main ingredients for her lemonade. To build her character, His character into her life.
What He allows and does in our life is never without purpose. It is to strengthen our faith and it makes our witness for Him stronger as He did in Paul’s life. Paul wrote a great amount of the New Testament which we still study today. He was an outstanding witness for God. Paul’s choice was gratitude towards God and to makes lemonade with his lemons.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
What are you going to do with your lemons?
In His love, Crisi