When Life Gives You Lemons, God Can Make Lemonade - Chrissy Cunningham

James 1:2-4

Every day each of us is faced with a variety of trials. Some are small. Like, OH NO! It’s 8:15 and we were supposed to be out the door by 8:30! Everybody MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! While others are larger and carry more of a weight to them. Such as, going into the doctor for feeling rundown and tired and coming out with news that you have a rare type of cancer. Both circumstances can tend to facilitate a negative response and attitude, however if we take a closer look at James 1:2-4, we will find that God doesn’t desire us to live on an emotional rollercoaster, rather he wants to give us joy during those times. 

James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

Let’s break this down a little. The phrase diverse temptations mean various trials. Trying of your faith is testing. The word worketh here means to produce. Perfect and entire are referring to being mature and complete. Finally, wanting nothing means lacking in nothing. 

With all this newfound knowledge, I want to take a minute and have you imagine with me that you have a lemon with you, and we are going to compare a lemon to a trial and find out just how we can find joy or “make lemonade during a trial. 

First, we have the peel. This will represent our lives. Each peel is bright and beautiful. Every lemon has a peel. Just like we all will face trials. Notice James did not say IF you fall into diverse temptations, he said When you do. We need to remember that each person we pass or are around is facing something no matter what the outward appearance portrays. 

Second, we have the inside (sour juice). Imagine you’ve just cut and squeezed the lemon. The taste of the juice is sour and off putting usually followed by a facial reaction of puckered lips. Trials feel that way too. They can be sharp, bitter, and uncomfortable. James doesn’t tell us when we are tested it is going to feel good. He does tell us though that they have a purpose, and God will use it to shape us. 

If you look at the beginning of the verse James tells us to count it all joy. WHAT! Are you kidding me. You mean I shouldn’t sulk on the couch in my pj’s and eat all the potato chips and ice cream and growl at those who come near. No not at all.  Imagine with me again, you have just taken the challenge from a friend to sink your teeth deep into the lemon. Immediately everything locks up. You get that sharp pain behind your jaw and it is almost impossible to speak. Then for some unknown reason you start giggling. The pain isn’t gone but you are still giggling and now those around you are too.  What in the world is happening? You are finding joy in a painful situation.  Side note- those giggling with you are doing so as a product of how you respond.  

Third we have the seeds. Lemons have seeds so that new growth can happen. Inside the trial there are seeds or reminders that God can bring new growth from hard times. If you look back at the passage, you will see that the trying of our faith produced something. It’s patience and when patience is given time, it matures and completes you. 

On its own lemon juice can be hard to swallow, but if you add little sugar and water it becomes refreshing. In the same way God (if we allow Him) takes our trials and through our faith and Patience He makes something good. The product is that we become LACKING IN NOTHING. Meaning we are right where God wants us for the moment we are in. Doing and responding according to His will. What peace and joy that brings! 

Remember as you go through your day today, that just like a lemon our life will have sour parts, but trials don’t have to be drudgery. We can remember that they produce patience, growth and maturity. If we let God work, He can turn the sourest of days into something refreshing.