What will it be lemons or lemonade?

Lemons or lemonade is the question isn’t it? There is a constant drain upon our energy and our ability to handle the #@*&% that life throws at us. It tests our spiritual capability to handle stress. Most often that stress is being produced by the people that matter the most … our loved ones … members of our immediate family … our spouse, children, brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles … the people that are there if we like it or not. Sometimes it gets so bad that it could even make Mother Teresa cut loose with a few choice curse words!

We constantly try to remind ourselves that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle” or “When God shuts a door he always opens a window” The burden of what we are presently carrying already has us dragging our chin on the ground and, besides, that window he opens seems to always have a screen in it! And, then we read, for the umpteenth time, “Footprints” as a means to recall that God is carrying us at the present time. We recite the words from Matthew 11:28. Personally, I like The Message translation: “Are you tired? Worn out? … Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.”

Who is ready for “a real rest”?

For some crazy reason we think that we have to carry all these problems by ourselves. After all, as the saying goes, “we made our own bed …” But there is hope, there always is for if God is on our side who can stand against us – what power, what principalities, what authority, what problems, what situations, what individuals – there is nothing and no one. End of story! Colossians 1:17 states, again from The Message, “He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.” There isn’t anything beyond his grasp. He has the first word, the last word and all the words in between.

Who is ready for “a real rest”? I am … and probably so are you!

I was recently reminded of something that happened while the pastor of First Hudson. We had an evening vespers service at the end of which we would all share our prayer concerns – the situations over which we felt we had absolutely no power or hope. It gradually grew into a major teaching moment when I simply began to share that don’t we each think that God wants these situations to change? Do any of us really think that the pain and heartache that we are talking about are really within the realm of God’s purpose and will for life? I then suggested, thanks to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that if we fully and completely think that God desires a better situation for each one of us shouldn’t we start thanking him for the changes and a brighter tomorrow instead of just pleading for something to give?

This started us down a path of triumphant prayer filled with victory and praise. The atmosphere actually began to change on those Sunday night. Reports started filtering in about hope and possibilities. Oh, we continued to mention the needs, but it was always within the attitude of healing and wholeness. We claimed the reality that resurrection had taken place and that Christ actually did hold all of life together … and we tasted the sweet, cool nectar of lemonade!

Quote for today: Every problem is an opportunity to prove God's power. Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems. ~Chuck Swindoll

NOTE: There will be no postings on this blog January 9-16, 2010 because I will be enjoying a Caribbean Cruise with my spouse of 45-years and some friends.