You Think You’re Squeezed?

My daughter and I were shopping at a huge craft venue and one of things we enjoyed there was a delicious, homemade, lemonade. They put fresh cut, half lemons in the cup, with an undisclosed amount of sugar, and then used this special machine to forcefully press the lemons, expressing all the flavorful oils, juice and pulp. To finish it off, they added water creating a life-saving, mouth-watering treat in the Texas summer heat.

How did this same little yellow fruit, so perfectly refreshing, get such a bad rap? We call our new cars lemons when they’re falling apart as soon as we drive them off the lot. We associate them with going through a bad season in our lives by saying “if life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” When we’re in those bad seasons, we might feel like we’re in one of those machines, where we’re being forcefully pounded to the point where we feel there’s nothing left to give. But maybe, like the lemon, the very best of us is exposed when we are pressed and squeezed.

The lemon is such a versatile fruit but it is useless unless it is plucked from the tree, grated for its rind, squeezed for its juice and scraped for its pulp. We were created with purpose too but unless we endure the trials of life, we fail to live in that purpose and are useless to those around us. When we suffer the loss of a loved one, then we are able to comfort someone who later suffers the loss of a loved one. When we overcome an addiction, only then can we truly understand the problem and help a fellow addict. Overcoming obstacles gives us wisdom and empathy to guide others, those who God will put in your path to fulfill your purpose.

So, the next time you’re feeling a little sque-e-e-e-ezed, remember the lemon…only through the pressing does it become fragrant and delicious. 1 Peter 1:7 (TLB) “These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of His return.”