“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’m not sure who first uttered these words, but it’s hard to deny the wisdom they communicate. Early and often are the times that life goes sideways on us. In those times, we must decide if we’ll let our circumstances make us sour, or if we’ll find a way to make something sweet and enjoyable out of it. In my own life, I’ve found that many of my best, most memorable experiences have developed when life has handed me lemons.
My son JJ is in his senior year and has played drums with the Seymour Marching Owls and Guard for the entirety of his high school career. There are few things my wife and I enjoy more than going to games to listen to our boy play with the band. One of our favorite events every year has been IU Band Day. Indiana University graciously invites marching bands from across the region to come join their marching band, the Marching Hundred, to play the halftime show during a game. It is an amazing experience!
This year, as the Marching Owls prepared to make their way to the stadium, we discovered a proverbial bag of lemons.
This year, as the Marching Owls prepared to make their way to the stadium, we discovered a proverbial bag of lemons. Several band members had other obligations in the morning and weren’t present during the loading of equipment. Unfortunately, some very important pieces of equipment were left behind. As you have likely guessed, my son was one of those band members and found himself on the verge of not being able to play. The band director, Mr. Kevin Cottrill, immediately began looking for solutions.
The end result took what could have soured our final IU Band Day experience and created a sweet opportunity as I was enlisted to help serve as a stand for JJ’s drums. I was allowed to follow the band down the tunnel into the stadium and out onto the field. JJ and I got to watch several minutes of the game and see a touchdown from the end zone where it happened. Best of all, I was allowed to run out to near midfield and watch my boy work his magic on his drums in front of thousands of people from only feet away. The situation may not have been ideal or what was planned, but it created an amazing shared experience that my son and I will talk about for years to come.
In Jeremiah 29:11, it reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” This is a commonly quoted text of Scripture, but some meaning is lost because the context is missed. The people are in the midst of a difficult experience with the promise of more difficulty to come. God is not promising that everything will work out as we plan if we just trust Him. He’s promising us that even, and especially, when it doesn’t work out like we plan, it will still work out for our good because it is HIS plan.
Much of our joy, peace, and hope in life is predicated upon learning to make the most out of whatever situations and circumstances come our way.
Let’s be honest, shall we? Life very rarely goes according to plan. We find ourselves confronted by lemons more often than not, in one way or another. Much of our joy, peace, and hope in life is predicated upon learning to make the most out of whatever situations and circumstances come our way. We will miss a great many amazing and memorable opportunities when we sit with the sour taste of our lemons. Instead, we need to learn to go to work squeezing out all the juice they have to offer, making the most of what’s available to us. Many times, we’ll find that the end result is something sweet that we can enjoy and maybe even share with those around us.
