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Not A Huge Fan of Lemonade!

Shoshana Lipson

Not A Huge Fan of Lemonade!

“Lord, I don’t want to make lemonade!” I hear myself cry out to Him again and again. “I’m tired, discouraged, and afraid. I’m angry and I do NOT want to accept this for my life!” Now that’s an interesting thought! By choosing to make lemonade am I accepting the lemons? Does that mean I accept that the pain and illness are here to stay and that there is no hope? There’s a part of me that is afraid to go that way. How can I balance acceptance for what currently is and could always be with hope for the future? Is it okay to stop hammering down the doors of heaven asking for miraculous healing and instead start asking the Lord to do something with my life as it is? 

When Life Gives You Lemons
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the well-known phrase, “When life gives you lemons, learn to make lemonade.” That concept is all well and good, but honestly sometimes I just don’t want to make lemonade – all I want is my life back! Maybe you can relate to that too? Interestingly, lemons are one of my favorite fruits; give me a piece of lemon cake, a slice of lemon meringue pie, or a lemon cookie and I’ll be happy as a camper. But when it comes to my life that’s a different matter and it’s often a struggle. Seeing the lemons all around me and knowing that theoretically I should do something with them that’s useful is one thing. Actually wanting to…. well, that’s another thing altogether! 

When we start focusing on the negative voices, I often call them “the committee in our head,” it is like getting stuck in a bog that won’t let us go. It is almost like we “slime” ourselves and then can’t get the slime off. That’s what happens when we focus on our feelings and what is unfair or unbearable rather than making a choice to focus on what is good. Philippians 4:8 says: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8


Honestly, it is incredibly hard to find a balance between acceptance and hope-for-change. How do we “accept” our lives the way they are when there are struggles that do not resolve? It’s challenging to take our focus off the “why me,” “what if” and “if only.” It takes a conscious effort on an ongoing basis not to focus on regrets, losses, and dreams that are likely unattainable for now. Do we allow the interruptions in our lives to take our focus off God and His plan for us? When we ask Him again and again for change to our circumstances are we able to accept that what He wants to do more than anything else is to change us? 
I Will Never Leave Nor Forsake You
Remember, God does not promise health, but He does promise that He has a purpose for our lives, that we are infinitely precious, and that He will always be there for us. He is our strength, our rock, our refuge. EVEN IF God doesn’t heal us physically He is still good, His purpose is perfect, and He can use everything that we go through for that purpose. As we cry out to Him in exhaustion, fear and doubt, throwing our pain and burdens at His feet, we are able to hear His still small voice saying, “I know – I hear you – I’m upholding you with my right hand and will never leave nor forsake you!”

Is your God big enough to allow for the unfathomable in your life? Do you tend to compare yourself or your life to that of others and ask, Why me? Are you willing to ask the Lord to make lemonade out of lemons today?!

When the Holidays Hurt & You Need His Peace

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Are you wondering how you’re going to get through the holidays? Do you look at others and wish that you had the same joy and excitement as them? Do you feel left out because of health limitations? The reality is that the holiday season isn’t always as joyful or easy for people who live with chronic pain or illness. We often struggle with health flare-ups, places we cannot go, things we cannot do, anxiety, depression, fear of the future, and guilt about not being all we want to be for our friends and family.

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By David Daffern • 23 Sep, 2020
When God touches your life, you are changed. You'll never be the same again. You can't go back to what you were before, not that we always want to.

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By Linda Orner • 05 Aug, 2020
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, Nahum 1:7 Life can be unpredictable and challenging, but faith and trust in God Can help us to overcome tragedy. We can find peace amid such turbulence. The Lord is our refuge in times of trouble, and through Him we can find peace even in the midst of the storm!
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By Shoshana Lipson • 12 Mar, 2020
When we are overwhelmed it is easy to convince ourselves that no-one understands and that there is no hope. However, not only does our Father in Heaven hear every cry and know every thought, but in addition there are countless others who truly do “get it.” Others who go through the same storms and are all too familiar with the challenges we face.
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By Shoshana Lipson • 13 Feb, 2020
Guilt, shame, blame and regret all too often keep us looking back over our shoulders and tripping over our feet as we keep trying valiantly to move forward. We tend to wear them like treasured clothing, things that have almost become a part of us and our identity. Sadly, our pain all too often becomes who we are, and our very way of thinking starts to revolve exclusively around that.
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My Body Appears to be Mulfunctioning!

By Shoshana Lipson • 02 Feb, 2020
The way I read the Word of God it's pretty obvious that God knows me inside and out - in fact, from before I was even born. He knows YOU inside and out too! Every thought, every fear, every doubt, every dream, and every hope. And yet, for some reason I've chosen to live most of my life not only trying to hide my health challenges from those around me, but also trying to 'fix' them so that God can work out His purpose in me.
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Living In The Midst of the Unfathomable

By Shoshana Lipson • 17 Jan, 2020
Every day I have to make that choice to trust in a God whose thoughts are not my thoughts and whose ways are not my ways. Every morning I give Him my pain and doubt and feel His arms enfold me saying, "I am here and I have not forgotten you."
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An Invitation to Grow

By Shoshana Lipson • 05 Jan, 2020
Every broken part of your life, every challenge, hurt and struggle, is an invitation to grow, a doorway to a deeper relationship with the Lord.
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