Making Lemonade

If friends are the flowers bringing beauty into our lives, then the nectar has to be the sweet words of encouragement that they share. So many times a friend has shared words of wisdom that helped me in a particular situation. This time, the word was so profound, I asked my friend to share her story with us. 



Ever have nagging thoughts that persist in your mind, driving away your peace and shattering your self-confidence? Today my sweet friend Sharon Bloss shares her heartfelt story, and one very effective way she has found to quiet her mind. 

There’s an old proverb that says, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Life has been handing me lots of lemons lately: a trust betrayed, the breakup of a marriage, the upheaval of my life. And while I have been trying to make lemonade out of all these lemons, it’s coming out pretty sour.

It took me a long time to decide to leave my husband. In the many months that preceded this decision I spent a lot of time worrying. It seemed like my mind was constantly spinning. I couldn’t sleep very well because I would wake up in the middle of the night and instantly my mind would start to churn. I would be driving to and from work and all the while my mind would be churning, churning. Do I go, do I stay, where will I live? Even after I made the decision to leave, the worrying got worse. 

As a Christian, we are taught not to worry, not only about tomorrow, but as a rule in general.  We are to place our trust in God, casting our cares to Him. While this sounds easy enough in theory, in truth I wish someone would tell that to my churning mind. 

So I pray. I pray that God would take these cares from me and help me to make the right decisions. I pray that God would stop this churning mind of mine and give me some peace. In the midst of all this turmoil, God revealed a very simple solution.

I have this little book I read every night before I go to bed written by Sarah Young called, “Jesus Calling.” Throughout this book there is a theme that suggests that any time you want to feel the presence of Jesus, speak His name.

I even wrote that on a post-it note and put it in the front inside cover of the book.  And then I found this scripture: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13 NLT) Could it really be that simple? 

One day on my way to work as I found myself once again obsessing over things I couldn’t control I spoke His name: “Emmanuel”.  And, as an answer to a prayer, my mind went quiet. 

In the Hebrew language, Emmanuel literally means "God is with us". I have found that by speaking His name in times of trouble it has become a way for me to stop my obsessive thoughts and put my focus where it should be, on God. This one word, spoken in a moment when God is not in the forefront of my thoughts, puts God first and gives me the sweet calming that I so desperately need. It is the sugar to sweeten my sour lemonade, an answer to a prayer, a miracle. 

Throughout this difficult time I have traveled a path that I would have thought impossible only a few short months ago, and God has been there with me every step of the way. In the end I have learned that through the tough times the only thing I need to do is: breathe in and breathe out, put one foot in front of the other, and let God take care of the rest. God has answered many prayers for me and I have so much to be thankful for. These days I not only speak “Emmanuel” as a cry for help, but also as a word of thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of me.

Lemonade, anyone?

JESUS Came so You can Live YOUR STORY

While living in Texas years ago, I attended a Bible study in the home of a dear friend from church. My friend had a old, dirty, cracked flower pot on her table, and she shared that this can be how we feel about ourselves in our unworthiness before our Lord and Savior. Then she brought forth from the inside of the filthy pot a beautiful shining crystal vase, and told us all "this is how God sees you". It took everything within me to not run crying from the room and never come back.

I thought all God saw of me was my stains, my mistakes and my failures. I felt I was a fake to be putting on this façade of a strong Christian woman when inside I was so terribly broken. Perhaps some of you have felt this way, too.

This video, with footage from the movie “The Story” makes me weep. The lyrics tell the reason Jesus came; for us to live our story with all of our failures and brokenness. We come before our Lord and He sees only our possibilities. He sees our greatness and our potential. With lovingkindness and forgiveness, our Savior releases us from the bondage of our past. We are born again, made new in His sight. Our sins are forgotten; they are gone with the wind. And even if we make more mistakes, and we will, because we are human after all, we can come to our Lord and ask for forgiveness, and He will set our feet on the pathway to righteousness once again. 

Mac Powell of the band "Third Day" sings these words of truth: "Tell me your story, show me your wounds; and I'll show you what love sees, when love looks at you. Hand me the pieces, broken and bruised, and I'll show you what love sees, when love sees you."

No longer am I ashamed of what once defined me from my past. I am born again in the Spirit. I know Jesus as my Savior and my Lord. I am the daughter of a King! I am blessed. My friend, this is my Christmas wish for you, that you will come to know our Lord personally, and truly believe that you can made new.

If you are struggling with inner demons, He is the one who can save you. You deserve to live a life free from shame. Jesus came for you to live your story. And His great love can help you live your life with gratitude and peace. Do not believe the lie that this promise is not for you. It will be yours when you ask Jesus to come into your life. You can share with him all of your failures and successes. You can learn about His life through reading the New Testament of the Bible, and you can come to know Him personally by coming to Him in prayer. Ask Him for the direction your life should lead. This relationship can be the guiding force of your life. And it can begin with a simple prayer asking Jesus to come into your life.

We all need more than the simple existence of living life on this earth. Our lives are filled with challenges and sorrows, sufferings and joys. God can help us turn our challenges into triumphs, and our sorrows and suffering can help us grow into a closer relationship with Him. Our joys will be filled with gratitude and our rough places made smooth through knowing that God is always with us. Emmanuel, God with us. That is why He came.