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When Life Gives You Lemons
Humans are planners, some more than others, but we all have ideas about our future. Some of us may not know what we’re having for dinner this evening, but we have grand plans for our future. Others have every minute of the day scheduled but have no clue what they want to do in the long run.
We make so many assumptions in our plans, and believe it or not, we have very little control over our lives. We assume life will go according to our plans, our hopes and dreams, but reality is a lot more complicated.
At some point in our lives, we have likely said, “This is not what I had planned for my life.” We had it all mapped out perfectly, and then something happened: we get a bad diagnosis, there’s a breakup or divorce, we don’t get the promotion, or a loved one dies.
What then?
Our plans are shattered, and we are left to figure out our next step. It’s an unsettling—even vulnerable—feeling to not know what’s next. Truth be told, letting go of the future we had planned may be one of the most human things we ever have to do.
And so, when life gives you lemons, what are you going to do?
The Bible’s answer isn’t, “Make lemonade,” but rather to trust God in all things. The future is not for us to know, but we can trust in the goodness of God. God doesn’t owe us anything; everything is a gift.
Life itself, with all of its hills and valleys, is a gift. The sooner we can rid ourselves of the illusion of a perfect future and instead live each day in gratitude and faithfulness, the sooner we will find peace.
No wonder Jesus preached to his anxious flock, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)
The answer is yes. So be at peace; your Heavenly Father will take care of you.
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