When life hands you lemons, make Lemonade

by Grace Alfieri

Iremember the first time I saw that quote I said to myself what a great In preparation, her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked concept! We usually gripe and complain when things happen to us that he not call attention to Jamie. The teacher promised, but when he that we did not expect but sometimes it is good to look at things got sick on Sunday morning and had to call a substitute, he forgot to differently. I believe that quote is attributed to Dale Carnegie who used it tell the second teacher. At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which in his 1948 book entitled: How To Stop Worrying and Start Living. Lemons was about inviting friends to church, the substitute led the class in suggest sourness/tartness or difficulties in life; making lemonade is doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem: turning them into something sweeter, positive or desirable. Here’s the church, Here are the people, Open the door, See all

When things do not turn out as we expected, especially for the people. believers we feel as though God has abandoned us; but sometimes Jamie’s eyes filled with tears she only had one arm. However, a we need a different perspective. There is a hymn we used to sing in young boy realized how she might be feeling. He knelt beside her. With our churches many years ago it was titled: “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.” The writer of that song spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. The composer says that after returning home from an evangelistic crusade he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had enough of the evangelistic life and she left him. The composer said that he became very despondent during the next several years. There were even times when he contemplated suicide. Yes, there was the terrible despair he experienced because he believed that no one really cared for him any more. But he said that gradually his spiritual faith was restored and he once again became active in Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that became a summary of his past tragic experience. From his broken heart came the words to the hymn: No on ever cared for me like Jesus. There’s no other friend so kind and true. No one else could take the sin and darkness from me. one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, O how much He Cared for me and people. Together they illustrated what the real church is all about.

Even in our darkest moments, much like the times we are seeing The devil wants you isolated and in despair, But Jesus wants you around us today, God has promised to care for us! connected to Him and to His people. You may not see Him, you may

In Psalm 22, we see the words spoken by Jesus when HE was on not feel Him, but standing right beside you at every moment is your the cross, those same words which many of us have said over the years: loving Heavenly Father. He is there He will always be there, Jesus “My God, my God…why have You forsaken Me?” It was the most gutsaid I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU! I WILL NEVER wrenching cry of loneliness in history, and it came not from a prisoner LEAVE YOU! or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from the Jesus is given many titles in the Bible. Perhaps none is as Messiah: “My God, my God," He cried out , "why did you abandon me!” endearing as Emmanuel (God with us). It speaks of his constant,

Never have words carried such hurt and anguish. Never has one continual presence in our lives. May you be encouraged as you think BEING been so lonely. The despair is darker than the sky. The two who upon that title. You may be worn out. You may be beat down. You had been one are now two. Jesus knows your pain and your isolations may be discouraged. You may feel like nothing is going right in and He is there with you which means you are not as alone as you your life. You may feel like a failure. But I am here to tell you today: might think or feel you are! Keep your focus on Jesus and pray to feel Whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley…you can trust His embrace in your life. God…He is faithful.

Perhaps this story will help you. After an accident in which she lost her arm, a girl named Jamie refused to go to school or church for an entire year. Finally the young teen thought she could face her peers. About The Author Rev. Grace Alfieri was born and raised in New Jersey where she pastored the church in which she grew up. Her father pastored the church before her. She retired to Etowah, Tennessee, in 2013 and has 3 children and 3 grandchildren. 52 // October 2020