LEMONADE, ANYONE?

As a Christian, I love life's "lemonade," which is the gift God gives us when we trust Him--because those circumstances and events that produced it were revised by Him.   

Now just think about that for a moment:  life's lemonade to me means that when something negative or hurtful happens to me, if I trust God, He can turn it into something good in my life--is that what I'm saying?  Exactly!  The Bible puts it another way:  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." --Romans 8:28 NIV


A positive outlook is the key.  If I truly believe that God is in control (and I do), then I must also realize that NOTHING happens in my life without His express permission.  Nothing is a surprise to an omniscient, omnipresent God--He allows various people, events, and circumstances into my life for a reason.  Is God obligated to explain His reasons to us "down here"?  Of course not.  Just as parents do not explain things to a baby, we are often too young and immature in our faith to fathom His ways.  


As a Christian, life hands me lemons on a regular basis, but I desire to turn those difficulties over to Him, allowing Him to work them "for good." I can attest to the fact that He has always been there for me, realizing that sometimes hindsight is better than foresight--meaning that the reasons certain things happened the way they did become clear to me at a later time.


Therefore, I have two choices when life presents me with lemons:  (1) to turn against God, plunge into despair, and hold on to anger and sadness, or (2) to trust that God loves me, He is in control and will work things out for my good.  


I choose the latter, not because it is easy or that I can always do that immediately, but because He is worth trusting!