Lemons Just Might Be A Gift From God

By Carole Dickey

When life throws us lemons, make lemonade. So they say, but let’s face it, when we are struggling with a load of lemons, or even just one big one, that advice from well-meaning philosopher friends can seem like just one more lemon. Money too short, lost a job, facing divorce, coping with grief – there are times when a lemonade stand just doesn’t hold a lot of promise, does it? We feel like the hapless Job who was beset by his well-meaning but offensive friends. We want sympathy and solutions, not platitudes, right?

Of course, the metaphoric message is to make the best of a bad situation. OK, that sounds like good advice. The problem is, how do we make the best of a particularly grievous situation when it seems to us there is no “best”? We can’t reverse the loss of a loved one, cajole a boss into giving us our job back, replace mementos lost in a fire. Sometimes the suggestion to make lemonade seems pretty trite, don’t you agree?

I’ve had a few setbacks in my life. In retrospect, I can only say this: It was not until God opened my eyes to the truth of His existence that I could truly appreciate the lemonade philosophy. As I began my stumbling journey to walk in His will and accept the “lemons” He sent my way, I eventually found myself able to respond with an attitude of anticipation, even during personal pain, asking, “OK, God, here I am, here we are, what’s happening? Where do we go from here?”

Viewing life and circumstances through God’s will rather than our own is a tremendous buffer against despair. Knowing that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according His purpose,” (Romans 8:28) gets us past the despair and moves us into an active participation in accomplishing God’s will. And, take it from one who’s been there, charging forward in life as a disciple of Christ brings much greater inner peace and joy than wallowing in grief, self-pity, anger, hatred or plots for revenge.

We all, with God’s help, will find the right path. There is always a forward journey – become a grief counselor to aid others who have suffered a loss, spearhead a fundraising project for those who have been hit with tragedy, use a personal handicap or hardship to reach people similarly afflicted. Seek and ye shall find. Pray to find a way to accept personal tragedy and turn the situation from your loss to God’s gain. The secret ingredient to a really good jug of lemonade is the ability to stop looking inward at our pain and start looking upward.

We have made great strides in our faith when we can pray, “This is a terrible blow you’ve dealt me, God, but I know that you are in charge and I trust you to see me through this situation. I pray that you will honor me, your servant, by shaping me so you can use me to accomplish your will.”

When we can embrace a setback as a gift from a loving God, who has greater plans for us, we have lifted our chin above the pile of lemons and began the rewarding task of building that lemonade stand.

Carole Dickey writes from Hudson, Florida.