Lemonade

What a beautiful day.  I’m sitting in my favorite blue chair, feet propped up on the window seat. A window is cracked open not too far away, letting in the sounds of a breezy fall day.  The fountain just outside is gently bubbling its familiar watery tunes. Peace comes in the morning. 

Last week was the last night of our women’s bible study – “Take Courage,” by Jennifer Rothschild.  It was more timely for me than I thought it would be, and here I am 8 weeks since the study began, still plugging its lovely, challenging pieces into all the places they fit in my life. 

The study was truly about discouragement and how it breaks us down little by little, piece by piece.  Sometimes life can hand us lemons, one right after the other, until we’re surrounded… by lemons.  I mean, how much lemonade is one person expected to make in this life?  

After some time, our lemonade maker gets tired, and lemons start piling up.  We can still put on a pretty face, pretending we’ve got it all together, but the juice of our life has become more bitter than sweet. And in many areas, we’ve no juice left at all.

One of the things we talked about in the study was that we can learn to live with a level of discouragement and not even know it.  We think we’re standing up straight and walking just fine through life, but we’re really stooped over, walking with a limp through three feet of mucky, dingy water. At our deepest heart level, we’re exhausted. We’re done. We may still be going through the motions, but we honestly gave up a long time ago!

In my heart of hearts, there are definitely some things I have given up on because of this type of discouragement. In a few different ways, although I have experienced exponential freedom and healing through the work of Christ in my life, my faith for some things has been crippled. Especially when those things have to do with the neatly stacked, seemingly hidden, piles of extra lemons that I just didn’t have the strength to deal with.

But the Father does not leave us alone to clean up the fallout of discouragement all by ourselves. Because He is a gentle, kind, and loving Father, we are able to speak openly with Him about each difficult experience, placing each lemon on the table before Him.  We can ask Him questions; express our pain, anger, or disappointment; and cry all our tears onto His broad, caring shoulders.  There is so much healing in being open, vulnerable, and honest with the Lord. 

The Bible says He collects all our tears in a bottle.  I can just imagine Him taking those tears and extra lemons, adding His perfect brand of sweet healing and lovely fragrance, and making the most delicious lemonade we have ever tasted.  That’s the kind of healing and freedom I want to experience in my life!  

So, maybe it’s time to get honest with ourselves about dreams we’ve given up on… things we know God has directed us to do that we just aren’t doing because our faith has been crippled. As long as we remain discouraged and inactive, the enemy has us right where he wants us! Broken down, double-minded, fearful… trapped. And I’m sure I speak for ALL of us when I say that is NOT where we want to be.

As for me, I’m taking Actions of Faith. Seeing, believing, journaling; writing scriptures and reading books that will help me move forward. I’m not one who likes being stuck. Even if it’s hard, I want to fight to move forward. I have a feeling YOU are a fighter, too. So come one, let’s move forward together!

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33