When Life Gives You Lemons...

Just wanted to share a pair of quotes that I have been returning to for inspiration as I am in a season of waiting for...whatever will come next!

"Patience is not indifference;

patience conveys the idea of an immensely strong rock

withstanding all onslaughts."

~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment

when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder

and offered the chance to do a very special thing,

unique to them and fitted to their talents.

What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified

for that which could have been their finest hour."

~Sir Winston Churchill

The job search has proven more difficult than anticipated. Underlying the surface activity of endeavoring to obtain employment are deeper questions of vocational direction, identity, and life goals. Doors have shut, yet countless doors remain to be discovered, evaluated, and knocked upon. At just the right time, the right door will open, and I would appreciate prayers for wisdom and perseverance until the arrival of that blessed day!

As I helped explain at one of the application centers during Vacation Bible School last week, we all experience "lemon days" and "lemonade days." Lemons are inevitable but can be both character-building and heighten our appreciation of sweeter times. Life can be sour, but sugar abounds in the form of support and encouragement from family and friends, life lessons learned, protection and blessings from God, a positive attitude, perspective gained in time, and, above all, the knowledge that GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Hopefully the fourth and fifth graders left "The Lemonade Stand" not only with a vivid distinction between lemon juice and lemonade, thanks to our taste-testing game, but also with a greater ability to locate the bright side in a difficult situation and see God at work. The discussion with the kids demonstrated how we can each make a conscious choice to find a positive element in absolutely any circumstance, following the apostle Paul's admonition in I Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice ALWAYS, pray CONTINUALLY, give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

As I am earnestly seeking God's will for my life, perhaps, in a more general and fundamental sense, I already found it a long time ago... Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. Be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Be sanctified. Take up my cross and follow. Live by faith, not sight. Love God. Love my neighbor. Give in Jesus' name a cup of cold water...or lemonade.