The other day while talking with a friend he very sweetly told me simply to "make lemonade". Admittedly, I had been feeling a little sorry for myself and bemoaning all of the stresses that life has thrown at me. As I thought about it I realised that I had been given lemons and instead of "making lemonade" I was pealing them, sticking them in my mouth, and getting that puckered, pinched look you get when you eat something sour. In pondering this thought I was reminded of the scripture, "Adam fell that man might been and men are that they might have joy." If that's true, and I believe it is, then why all the lemons?
As I've considered that this week I recalled a quote from Helen Keller, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." If we never had trials we would not be able to understand and appreciate the joys life has to offer us.
So, one lemon at a time, I'm squeezing lemons, and when I get enough I'll add some sugar, which I think we get with every lesson learned and each challenge overcome. Some day, I'll get to take a sip of the lemonade and have a little taste of the joy that life has brought.
When things are tough and you feel like you are being pelted by "lemons", grab a catchers mitt and start squeezing, reminding yourself simply to just "make lemonade".
