Lemonade on a late summer day is refreshing. It’s especially tasty at a craft fair or amusement park. The tart, sweet flavor is thirst quenching.
It is pretty easy to make lemonade. Add water to a powdered mix and there you have the tasty drink.
To have real lemonade it takes more effort. the first step is squeezing lemons to get the juice. Then water and sugar are added to make the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is an optimistic statement that focuses on taking a sour situation and making it sweet. What makes the transformation?
Lemonade doesn’t happen without squeezing. In life, pressures and difficulties extract our attitude.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8
It is up to us to choose our attitude to remain sour or make it sweet.
The prophet Jeremiah shows us what he did when life gave him lemons. In Lamentations 3:20-23 he says:
“…my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion therefore I will wait for him.”
What can you add to the sour lemon juice from trials to make lemonade?
- Pray–wait on the Lord. Ask for God’s perspective on the situation.
- Praise–remember God’s character doesn’t change.
- Hope–keep looking forward to what the Lord will do with the trial.
Adding prayer, praise, and hope to a sour situation is the start of a lemonade party.
If you’re feeling squeezed from trials, turn to the Lord. By His grace He will help you make lemonade.
