Learning to Love Lemons

There is an old saying you’ve all heard; “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” In many ways that sums up what it means to Live in Truth, but let’s examine the statement a little closer.

When life hands you a lemon, look at it carefully before you do anything else. Anchor with that lemon. Admire the beautiful yellow color. Feel the rough texture of the rind. Breathe in the fresh scent. Think about the healthy vitamins it contains. In other words, accept what is there (the Truth) and find what there is about it to enjoy. I realize that in life situations sometimes there isn’t much, but FIND what good there is in the lemon and think about that instead of the sour taste.

For example, we lost one of our daughters at birth. It was difficult, but when my mind starting dwelling on the loss, I changed my thinking to dwell on the fact that she wouldn’t have to go through the trials and tribulations of the growing up years. I would never have to worry about where she was or what she was doing. She was safely with her Father in Heaven and I would be with her again.

Once you’ve identified the good in the situation, decide what your next step will be. Will you add water and sugar to make it more palatable? Or is there another course you can take? Maybe you could add a little vanilla, too. Examine all the options—even a few that may at first seem absurd. A friend, who is a psychologist, once told me that depression occurs when a person can see only two options and doesn’t like either one. Sometimes the answer to our problems is thinking up more options and one of the beauties of Living in Truth is that there are always more options.

Life is full of lemons, but when we Live in Truth lemons are palatable.