When Life Throws You Lemons
By Benjamin Tomczak
Have you ever heard the expression, "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade?" Or how about, "Always look on the bright side of life?" Or even, "Every cloud has a silver lining?"
All of these witty little sayings mean basically the same thing - find the good in the bad. Sometimes though, we hear these so much from friends who are trying to be helpful, that we find ourselves searching for those lemons to chuck at him/her. But we can't do this. Because there is truth to be found in these statements, when we apply Scripture to them.
Things go wrong
More than once I've found myself wondering, "Why is this happening to me?" It's a common enough thought, I'm sure it has popped into your mind too. Usually it's right after a break-up, or finding out someone isn't the friend you thought they were, or you discovered just how poorly you did on that tough history exam. The common thread in all these is that we tend to think that because we are Christians, and because we believe in the atoning work of Jesus, and because he has taken away all our sins, then nothing bad is ever going to happen to us. If that's what we are thinking, then we are dead wrong.
Suffering will come
Not only did Jesus not promise us that life would be a bed of roses, he did the exact opposite. He said, "In this world you will have trouble," (John 16:33b) and "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division" (Luke 12:51). The evangelist Luke wrote in Acts 14, "We must go through many hardships" (vs. 33).
God has never promised us an easy, carefree life simply because we are Christians. Rather, because we are Christians we will suffer and are to expect suffering. The sinful world we live in is battling against us. The devil, that roaring lion, is prowling around, looking for ways to devour us. Our own sinful flesh, the Old Adam, is rebelling against the new man. And too often we give in to temptation.
When troubles come into our lives - sickness, tragedy, failure - we too often curse God before we go to God in prayer. Unlike Job, we listen to our friends who say, "Forget God, he does not love you! Rely on yourself, no one else is going to help you!"
But...
Yes, God promised troubles and hardships. But that's not the rest of the story. To his disciples he continued by saying, "but I have overcome the world," and Luke goes on to say, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." Paul says to the Roman Christians, "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).
No matter what is happening in our lives, God is in control. He is watching over us, making sure that we can handle what is coming into our lives. He will not tempt us more than we can bear. And in addition to this, after our time of earthly trials and temptations, there is Heaven. The good things of life that occur on earth - the A's, the championships, the friendships - pale in comparison to the eternal joys of heaven purchased for us by the blood of Christ on Calvary.
So the next you want to chuck lemons at your friend - who's just trying to help - remember that God has said the same things. "Always look on the bright side of life," because there you will find Jesus and the Cross.