"When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade"

            “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

            If you’ve never heard this saying before, I’d be very surprised. I used to hear it all the time, and I always wondered what it really even means. Like, who is life and why am I getting lemons? Why can’t I just buy premade lemonade drink mix or something…

            If you really think about this though, this statement actually holds a lot of meaning, especially if we think of it in a little different way…

            “When God gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

            There are countless Scriptures that talk about the many different blessings God gives to his people. Whether it be his son Jesus, grace, food, peace, rest, etc.; God is constantly blessing us with something. Besides these gifts, there are also spiritual gifts, passions, and talents that God has uniquely given to each individual. 1 Peter 4:10 says that “you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” So when it comes to the lemons that God gives us, these are the skills, the talents, the passions, and different opportunities that God has given you and is continually giving you.

            What are the lemons that God has given you? What skills or talents has He blessed you with? What things are you passionate about? What opportunities has He provided you with? These are very important questions for you to think about, but an even more important question is what are you doing with those talents? Are you making lemonade? Are you sharing your lemonade to serve God and make a difference in your community?       

            Whether you realize it or not, God has given you some sort of talent or maybe even multiple talents that you should be using to give back to him. Each person is different and has been given their own unique way to serve others and serve God. If you aren’t quite sure what those talents are yet, seek God’s guidance and look to his Word, or ask your mentors or the people that know you really well. When you discover those gifts, skills, talents, and passions that God has given you, it is up to you to decide what you’re going to do with them. When you give someone a useful gift, how does it feel when they don’t use it? In a similar way, God blesses us abundantly and out of thankfulness it should be a desire of our hearts to give all that we can back to him. Don’t waste your God-given talents and don’t miss out on the opportunities every day to use those gifts to honor him.