Tag: life

  • We are the Lemonade!

    Did you ever have a lemonade stand when you were little? I never did at home. We lived on an acreage, and there isn’t a lot of traffic on country blacktop roads. The traffic that did go by were farmers who didn’t believe in speed limits. So, a folding table at the end of our driveway wouldn’t have been the safest place for a kid.

    I did have cousins that lived in town, though. Every once in a while, I was lucky enough to stay with them. I got to experience the entrepreneurship of a lemonade stand. We made our fancy signs and whipped up some sugar-filled concoctions for the cars that passed by. And then we waited. And waited. And waited.

    Every once in awhile people came by with their 50 cents to buy a glass. A few times they’d hand us a dollar and told us to keep the change. We were crazy excited. We were thrilled that our hard work was paying off. People seemed to be pleased with our little venture.

    And then HE stopped by. This random man pulled his car to the side. He asked for two glasses of lemonade, drank them, and handed us a $20 bill. Then he got back in his car. Talk about being INSANE with excitement. It was a good day to be in the lemonade business.

    I’m guessing you have heard the old adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And, have you ever felt like you just can’t get those lemons to turn to lemonade?

    I sure have! I am typically a Pollyanna type of person. So, I do try to take the lemons and find a new way to mix them up. I keep trying until something sweet comes from them.

    I have wondered though, what if it’s more than that? What if all the lemons we’re handed in life. What if we have to take the sour things, squeeze, stir, and add bits of ourselves to in-order-to make them digestible. What if that’s just the first step?

    What if WE are the lemonade?

    I think we should examine our lives. We should consider the gifts and burdens we’re handed, and be open to the ways we can add sweetness. We can intentionally help someone else. We can continually improve ourselves. Try to do our best in any given situation. Turn our lemons into lemonade.

    I also know I couldn’t do any of those things on my own. There is no way I would have the perspective. I wouldn’t have the strength. I wouldn’t have the fortitude.

    I need to ask God for help in those everyday areas of my life. My lemons turn to lemonade because He’s given me the gifts to make that happen.

    But have you ever thought about it from God’s perspective?

    He sees all of the challenges we have in our lives. He lets us walk through them for a reason. He could easily make every obstacle we face easy. He could smooth out the rough road ahead of us and make every day simple.

    But, He’s watching us as we work through the sour patches. He is watching us take the lemons in our lives and squeeze all the juice from them. We add in the sweetness of our faith, trust, and acceptance. Then, we press onward.

    I believe while we are going through the rough patches with as much grace as we can muster, He is smiling. He is seeing the big picture.

    Smiling because He knows we will sometimes break even with our 50 cents. Sometimes exceed our own expectations with a dollar tip. And, have those magical times when we are graced with a windfall of $20 just because we persevered.

    He is smiling, and pleased with the sweet concoction He’s created in each and every one of us.

    Maybe we don’t just take our lemons and make lemonade.

    Maybe to Him we are the lemonade.

    Just a thought.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Where is God in the Shadows?

    Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with His presence. ~Paul Claudel

    We have many questions when we face difficult and tragic situations. One of the biggest is: “Why do bad things happen to good people.”

    A natural response when bad things are happening, is why? If God is good and all powerful, why doesn’t He stop the pain and suffering?

    God sits with us in our sadness. Accompanies us through the valley of the shadows. Holds our hand in our moments of fear.

    Suffering will look different for every believer in Jesus Christ. However, the desired end result should look the same when following Christ. 1Peter 4:12-13 MSG says, 

    “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” 

    When I choose to let Him, God fills me with His presence in my spirit. I can feel strong in the middle of that weakness.

    Emotionally, it’s called a pit of despair for a reason. A hole can be dug inside us so deep that it seems everything good has been excavated from our lives.

    We all experience it in different ways. You may have lost someone you love. Or you may have found yourself in situations you never dreamed you would be facing.

    A pit is dug. And despair is the first visitor that wants to knock at your door.

    It’s in those moments I pray for God to get me out of His way. It’s those moments when I start praying for Him to change my heart for what He wants. Pray that I can be aware of the opportunities He has planned for me.

    It’s taken me a while, but I realize, this life is not about me. It’s not about my wants and desires. It is about Him. It’s about me saying yes to what He can do through me.

    It requires me to trust Him completely. It doesn’t change the loss. It doesn’t improve my earthly situation.

    But it does change the suffering.

    It allows me to not answer the door to despair and instead invite His presence into the pit. The pit looks jagged and deep. It turns out to be a God-shaped hole in the center of our beings. A hole that is dug by circumstances and choices, and we can choose to fill it with His grace.

    We all live in a place of unknown realities. He has ensured that we don’t have to suffer.

    We get to choose whether to trust Him. Then, ask Him to show us how He wants to use us.

    Then, say yes.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Limited Visibility

    Moments in time.

    One BIG learning I have had in my life is to be intentional in savoring the little every day moments. There are moments that may not seem a big deal at the time. But, they become a big deal when they are gone.

    I learned this very quickly after losing my dad and sister. I realized that the things I missed the most were the things that I deemed little. They were even irritating at times.

    An example for me were the “dad joke’s” we’ve all experienced. Those jokes that we roll our eyes at and laugh a bit out of respect. Well, I would give anything to hear one of dad’s jokes again!

    I had the joy of spending this past week with my 1 and 3 year old grandchildren. I quickly realized that I had forgotten what it was like to get very little sleep! I also forgot that any plans I make might as well be dismissed. The kids’ plans take precedence.

    I don’t know about you, but I catch myself when I am in one moment, wishing for another. Instead of savoring the moments I am blessed with, I waste them wanting something different. When I do that, I am not appreciating the blessings God is giving to me.

    Moments are just that. Moments. Once they happen, they are gone. The moment is gone, but the memory of that moment lasts a life time. I want to be intentional in savoring every moment I have with those I love. I want to make special and joy filled memories for those I love to treasure for a lifetime.

    My eyes, no matter how clear and focused on Christ, are cloudy compared to His.

    I can’t see the beauty God is creating beyond what is right in front of me. I can’t see how He takes something that seems fearful, sad, or unjust, and shines His light in and through to redeem it into beauty.

    I can’t see ahead into the unknown and I have to remember that none of it is unknown to Him. 

    My job is to savor my moments.

    In my limited vision, at the age of 66, dad was taken away too soon. I trust that God has the vision to see where true beauty lies. I have faith and hope that He takes those times of hurt and sadness and shines His light in and through them to redeem their beauty. I choose to look for the beauty.

    He has the perspective. We have the life we are given by our circumstances. And if we trust Him, really trust Him, I believe He will always make sure there is beauty beyond our limited vision.

    And I will always praise Him for that.

    I am grateful for savoring many of the moments I had with my dad. The trips with him in the semi. The rides on the tractor when he was in the field. The days I was able to follow him around the farm and learn many life lessons. The calls I would receive from him when he was in the field. There are so many memories I savor.

    I want to create those same treasured moments for my children and grandchildren. I want to continue to create those treasured moments for me.

    I savor those moments and realize now more than ever the importance of those moments in my life. It’s those moments that I can turn to and fill my heart with joy.

    Be intentional in savoring the little everyday moments!

    With love and joy,

    Laura