In hard times people like to refer to the saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade,” but sometimes if you stand stop walking and turn around you realize you are in a lemon grove and ALL you see is lemons. You can only make so much lemonade, and to make matters worse when that happens you can’t seem to find any sugar at all. Let’s just be honest last thing you want in the middle of a lemon grove is SOUR LEMONADE. At one point in our lives or another we have all lived in a lemon grove, where nothing ever seemed to be turning out right.
The thing about a lemon grove is even though it grows thick around you , and at eye level it is hard to see through, if you just keep walking one you will eventually come to the end. Its the same with life struggles, the key is to keep your head up and keep moving forward. Stopping to make sour lemonade is only going to slow you down on your journey, make you miserable, and probably anyone who happens to be with you too, because I don’t know too many people who can drink sour lemonade and keep from complaining.
A lemon grove can appear to be a beautiful place, but its not somewhere you want to live. You cant live on a diet of only lemons no matter what some health gurus may say. You have to have a healthy source of water, protein, vegetables, dairy, and YES EVEN FAT…. so get out of that lemon grove and go find yourself a slice of Chocolate cake !!! (I give you permission.) Camping out in our circumstances tends to only make things worse, we tend to try to dress up the place and live there, making the best of what we have. We take on relationships we know aren’t good for us, we live in clutter because we “can’t” get rid of our stuff, we sleep our worries away, but in a sense this is the same as standing in the lemon grove and attempting to make lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon custard, and lemon pound cake. We attempt to make the best of the situation and try to fill ourselves with only lemon recipes, when we know we need more and even know there is a table prepared for us at the end of the grove, we just have to get up and move.
I know in my own life I have spent too much time in a lemon grove. After a failed marriage and many negative relationships, I began to think that it was where I belonged, but I truly believe that God had more than sour kisses and rotten fruit in store for my life. Its a daily choice to keep my eyes focused forward and keep moving until I’m not surrounded by lemons anymore. Life will always have its problems. In fact the book of James suggest that not only should we understand that trials may come, but that we should expect them and consider it pure joy. Its hard to be joyful when you have a sour taste in your mouth. The sour taste taints everything else you eat, but we have a choice we can choose to sweeten the sourness of the lemons that life has thrown us or we can sit down in the middle of the grove and commit to a lifetime diet of only lemons. It is our choice.
Sweet Friend, I know we have all been there, and in some way or another I know that most of us, if we are honest with ourselves are there right now. I challenge you to slow down just for a moment, and take a look around you. What are the lemons that life has thrown you, and what are you doing with them? Where in your life have you become comfortable with your circumstances? Where are you allowing things to bog you down emotionally and steal your joy.
Just remember you don’t have to carry all those lemons with you out of the grove, they will burden you and weigh you down on your journey, allow yourself only to carry the choice fruit. These are the things you have learned from your time in the grove, the lessons, and the growth. Once you are out of the grove you can take what you learned and use your lemons to bless the lives of others with more than just lemonade. Your life out of the lemon grove will be so much better than you can imagine when you look back. Just keep moving.
The thing about a lemon grove is even though it grows thick around you , and at eye level it is hard to see through, if you just keep walking one you will eventually come to the end. Its the same with life struggles, the key is to keep your head up and keep moving forward. Stopping to make sour lemonade is only going to slow you down on your journey, make you miserable, and probably anyone who happens to be with you too, because I don’t know too many people who can drink sour lemonade and keep from complaining.
A lemon grove can appear to be a beautiful place, but its not somewhere you want to live. You cant live on a diet of only lemons no matter what some health gurus may say. You have to have a healthy source of water, protein, vegetables, dairy, and YES EVEN FAT…. so get out of that lemon grove and go find yourself a slice of Chocolate cake !!! (I give you permission.) Camping out in our circumstances tends to only make things worse, we tend to try to dress up the place and live there, making the best of what we have. We take on relationships we know aren’t good for us, we live in clutter because we “can’t” get rid of our stuff, we sleep our worries away, but in a sense this is the same as standing in the lemon grove and attempting to make lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon custard, and lemon pound cake. We attempt to make the best of the situation and try to fill ourselves with only lemon recipes, when we know we need more and even know there is a table prepared for us at the end of the grove, we just have to get up and move.
I know in my own life I have spent too much time in a lemon grove. After a failed marriage and many negative relationships, I began to think that it was where I belonged, but I truly believe that God had more than sour kisses and rotten fruit in store for my life. Its a daily choice to keep my eyes focused forward and keep moving until I’m not surrounded by lemons anymore. Life will always have its problems. In fact the book of James suggest that not only should we understand that trials may come, but that we should expect them and consider it pure joy. Its hard to be joyful when you have a sour taste in your mouth. The sour taste taints everything else you eat, but we have a choice we can choose to sweeten the sourness of the lemons that life has thrown us or we can sit down in the middle of the grove and commit to a lifetime diet of only lemons. It is our choice.
Sweet Friend, I know we have all been there, and in some way or another I know that most of us, if we are honest with ourselves are there right now. I challenge you to slow down just for a moment, and take a look around you. What are the lemons that life has thrown you, and what are you doing with them? Where in your life have you become comfortable with your circumstances? Where are you allowing things to bog you down emotionally and steal your joy.
Just remember you don’t have to carry all those lemons with you out of the grove, they will burden you and weigh you down on your journey, allow yourself only to carry the choice fruit. These are the things you have learned from your time in the grove, the lessons, and the growth. Once you are out of the grove you can take what you learned and use your lemons to bless the lives of others with more than just lemonade. Your life out of the lemon grove will be so much better than you can imagine when you look back. Just keep moving.
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