Born on a sunny day, beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I’m a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade!
Lemonade by Chris Rice
Today, I made lemonade. The premixed "CountryTime" kind. My absolute favorite drink of summer. It was the last of the last canister that I had bought last summer, and I made myself use it first so that it didn't go to waste. Apparently after several months, all the "sour" settles to the bottom. The first glass (and all subsequent glasses) was extremely tart. So tart that neither of my children would drink it. I, however, was determined NOT to waste this remnant of last year's mix. Then came the lesson of the day.
"When life throws you lemons..." Well, we all know the rest of that cliche. Simply put, make the best of what you're given. Sometimes, in fact most times, the lemons life throws are a direct result of a decision I've made. Example: Today I was so determined to do things my way (use the remaining mix from last year) that I got lemons (EXTREMELY, almost unbearably tart, lemonade) and I chose to make lemonade (drink the yucky beverage anyway). I made the best of what I was given... Right?
Not exactly. You see, if I was going to make the best of what I had, I would have tossed last year's mix and opened the new canister. But I didn't. The yucky beverage was a direct result of my decision to use old mix. Some situations in life are exactly the same way. I make a bad decision. A decision that I may know for certain is directly against the will of God. And that decision yields an undesirable result. Instead of taking my lemons before the Father and asking him for forgiveness for turning away from Him and having him help me resolve the issue, I try to make lemonade all on my own. And it's awful.
I'm left with feelings of regret, guilt, remorse, inadequacy... And I'm also left trying to find a way out. Why can't I just learn to listen? Why can't my will diminish and why can't I let His will consume me? No, I wasn't promised a life without trials but I could help reduce those self-inflicted trials by listening to that still small voice that comes through so loud and clear.
I pray that God gets in the way of my will. I pray that he puts a desire in my heart only for Him and that I decrease so that He can increase in me.
3 comments:
Awesome! Never really though of that cliche in that way, but you're absolutely right.
All that out of bad lemonade! God has the best sense of humor!
This is a comment I received in an email. I wanted to post it because I learn so much from her. Lets see what would happen if you had added some sugar to that tart lemonade. Once you poured it in and stirred it really well and then tasted, it would have been sweet..and easy to swallow...Soooo..when life hands us lemons we do indeed make lemonade and we make sure to always add the sugar.. In this mixture we call life, it can become so very sour after awhile..we get frustrated, tired and feel so helpless...that is when we look up and ask God to please take over...He becomes that sugar in our lives...He doesn't want us to get in that kind of fix and if we allow Him to guide each day, then we find that He is much more capable...
You hang in there girl..You will be fine because the One who loved you even before you were born is living in your heart...love you, aunt frances
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