My story has had several lemons in it but I still love lemonade and trying to make the most of what I have. The sudden death of my husband was a blow that I didn’t expect. I don’t ever feel like I was bitter about it because I knew that I had the hope that I would see him in heaven one day. Was it fair? Certainly not! However, life isn’t fair sometimes. My challenge at the time was to live day by day, sometimes step by step to keep things as normal as I could for our daughter. I knew she was going through her own turmoil since she was the one who was alone with him and found him.
The financial struggles that followed were a result of me being the sole provider. My income was more supplemental and his was the main income for our household. I cut back on everything I could. We didn’t go to movies as much or eat at big restaurants or take elaborate vacations. I started shopping more frugal and learned why my mom liked Aldi’s so much. You can get what you need without paying the price! One of the biggest things I had to learn was humility. There were times that problems arose and I couldn’t take care of the problem. There were people that stepped in and helped me because they said it was a blessing to them.
Another lemon that I was given was raising a teenager alone. God only blessed us with one child. It took us 8 years to have her and what a blessing she is. She is strong, beautiful, smart, athletic and has a good heart. She is not disrespectful to other adults (as I see some teenagers do) and is polite. When her dad passed away when she was just 12 years old, I worried about her going half her life without a father figure in her life. It was now all up to me to raise her. What if I messed up? Through prayer and staying in church, I feel that she knows her values and limitations. She would rather listen to contemporary Christian music than the latest pop hit. It is a constant saturation of God in her life. Now she is about to have a driver’s license and I feel that this lemon definitely is some sweet lemonade.
The last two lemons will come in another post because they are probably the hardest ones that I have dealt with in the last couple years. I was passed on a job promotion and had a relationship break up. The first one I feel I became the strongest I have ever felt. The second I am still working through but God has been helping me with some great words that I look forward to sharing in a future post.
Lemons are bitter but they don’t have to leave you with a sour taste. Add some sugar by praying and letting God help you and you will have sweet lemonade that will refresh you and help you bounce back to that smile that makes everyone look and feel better.
Faith Created Simple 