When life hands you lemons...

Make lemonade! But seriously. Lemons are sooo good for you, and some fresh lemonade made with the juice of one lemon and about a teaspoon of raw, local honey will bring some peace into any situation. More on that later... I want to focus on how I, as a Christian, believe we should handle the tough situations that life throws our way and how we can find true peace in the midst of them.

Whether we are going through a horrifying, stressful, depressing, or confusing situation, I have no doubt that God is there during those times. He doesn't want us to feel worried or burdened. He wants us to find rest and peace in knowing that He is in control. That can be extremely hard at times, and usually is not our first reaction. Personally, my first reactions in those situations are to be upset, scared, and just plain confused! I really dislike not having control over what goes on in life.

Not only does God want us to find peace during those times, but He also desires that we are strengthened during those times. James 1:2-4 says- My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of troubles. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all God wants you to be.

That is so encouraging! It is through the hard situations in life that we become mature and that God completes His work in us. It doesn't matter the situation, how big or how small it may seem... There is always something we can learn about life, ourselves, and God. Our part in that is to trust Him! What does that mean? I think it means that even when we feel that stress, that we talk to Him and tell Him how we feel. That we ask for help... That we pray for wisdom and discernment... That we let go of all the details and just take one step at a time.

So to bring this down to a personal level, let me share what has been going on in my life this week. Okay this situation is not horrifying and really not even a huge deal, but it has taught me a few things. Basically, I was stressed about money, about my job, and about future plans...trying to figure out what I am going to do about going home for Christmas, about my dog, about getting time off for work and having money while I'm back home. So I looked at my work schedule this week and saw that I was only scheduled 6 hours. I was having thoughts like "Did I do something wrong? Am I really supposed to be working here? I wish I had a better job." ...Things like that. Well, I prayed about it, and I knew that I needed to talk to my boss, but I felt scared for some reason. God totally answered my prayers though, and today I felt completely confident and motivated to figure this all out. I wasn't going to let fear win. So I decided that I am going to take this week off as an opportunity to travel and visit a family friend in Asheville. Life handed me some sour lemons, and I'm taking them and going to make some delicious lemonade! So I'm going to take a little road trip and get that out of my system. Then I will come back and work hard in order to save some money for traveling home.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe this is what God intended all along- A little break so that I can refocus. I also think I will have some good opportunities to share my testimony with my friend in Asheville. Please pray that a seed will be planted or nurtured through this. I believe there is a reason for me going, even though I may not even see it right now.

So anyways, by seeking God in all of this, I have been able to see the bigger picture instead of being stuck in worry, fear or stress. The moral of this story: Take deep breaths. Live in the moment. Don't worry about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Listen to what God has to say and where He is leading you. Take one step at a time, and of course, make some lemonade.

Tell me a story of a tough situation you have been through and what you have learned from it!

Make lemonade! But seriously. Lemons are sooo good for you, and some fresh lemonade made with the juice of one lemon and about a teaspoon of raw, local honey will bring some peace into any situation. More on that later... I want to focus on how I, as a Christian, believe we should handle the tough situations that life throws our way and how we can find true peace in the midst of them.

Whether we are going through a horrifying, stressful, depressing, or confusing situation, I have no doubt that God is there during those times. He doesn't want us to feel worried or burdened. He wants us to find rest and peace in knowing that He is in control. That can be extremely hard at times, and usually is not our first reaction. Personally, my first reactions in those situations are to be upset, scared, and just plain confused! I really dislike not having control over what goes on in life.

Not only does God want us to find peace during those times, but He also desires that we are strengthened during those times. James 1:2-4 says- My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of troubles. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all God wants you to be.

That is so encouraging! It is through the hard situations in life that we become mature and that God completes His work in us. It doesn't matter the situation, how big or how small it may seem... There is always something we can learn about life, ourselves, and God. Our part in that is to trust Him! What does that mean? I think it means that even when we feel that stress, that we talk to Him and tell Him how we feel. That we ask for help... That we pray for wisdom and discernment... That we let go of all the details and just take one step at a time.

So to bring this down to a personal level, let me share what has been going on in my life this week. Okay this situation is not horrifying and really not even a huge deal, but it has taught me a few things. Basically, I was stressed about money, about my job, and about future plans...trying to figure out what I am going to do about going home for Christmas, about my dog, about getting time off for work and having money while I'm back home. So I looked at my work schedule this week and saw that I was only scheduled 6 hours. I was having thoughts like "Did I do something wrong? Am I really supposed to be working here? I wish I had a better job." ...Things like that. Well, I prayed about it, and I knew that I needed to talk to my boss, but I felt scared for some reason. God totally answered my prayers though, and today I felt completely confident and motivated to figure this all out. I wasn't going to let fear win. So I decided that I am going to take this week off as an opportunity to travel and visit a family friend in Asheville. Life handed me some sour lemons, and I'm taking them and going to make some delicious lemonade! So I'm going to take a little road trip and get that out of my system. Then I will come back and work hard in order to save some money for traveling home.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe this is what God intended all along- A little break so that I can refocus. I also think I will have some good opportunities to share my testimony with my friend in Asheville. Please pray that a seed will be planted or nurtured through this. I believe there is a reason for me going, even though I may not even see it right now.

So anyways, by seeking God in all of this, I have been able to see the bigger picture instead of being stuck in worry, fear or stress. The moral of this story: Take deep breaths. Live in the moment. Don't worry about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Listen to what God has to say and where He is leading you. Take one step at a time, and of course, make some lemonade.

Tell me a story of a tough situation you have been through and what you have learned from it!