Anyone who knows me knows that I appreciate a good cliché. The most familiar become well-known and well-worn, exactly because they ring so true. Making a cold, refreshing glass of lemonade from a handful of sour lemons is a pretty good analogy for turning tragedy into triumph, or for seeing the silver lining stitched into every cloud. As you might expect, I see a strong faith connection in this lemon-to-lemonade, silver-lining mindset. Sometimes, the trouble we find ourselves in, as Jimmy Buffett famously sings in his hit song Margaritaville, “is our own damn fault.” Other times, our troubles are out of our control: a weather cycle resulting in natural disaster- a flood or hurricane; our bodies breaking down as a byproduct of aging, or simply living in a wayward world that is seething with as much twisted malevolence as love and beauty.
It is in our desperate hours that we are most likely to turn to God. We pray for a change of circumstances and to intuit the presence of the Divine in whatever trouble comes our way, trusting we are loved. We ask for faith so that when squeezed, we have the patience to wait for the lemonade. I can’t tell you how many jobs I never got before I landed the one that changed my life. The same with dating and all things unrequited, until finally finding the key that fits the lock. To use one more cliche, it takes a lot of heat and pressure to forge steel. Nothing good is easy and much of what seems dire and disappointing, at first, often turns out to be quite the opposite. We don't always get what we want, to paraphrase another pretty famous song, by the Rolling Stones, but we often get what we need. We ask to savor the sweetness in the gifts we are given, even if they are not what we thought we wanted. And in the midst of hardship, we seek to recognize God working in our lives, so we can go with His flow to get to what we need. We wait for Him to “turn our wailing into dancing,” as Psalm 30 says below.
This is Psalm 30:
“I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit…
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.”
Perhaps the greatest gift of all is that when we turn to God for help, our bond with Him/her strengthens, our understanding deepens and our walk through this life is lighter. We carry in our hearts this promise from Jesus, from Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Leaning on God, praying for relief, asking for a change of circumstances and perspective, moves us closer to the Divine, which, to tell you the truth, is the real silver lining. The song pairing is “Burden is Light.” Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
Burden is Light
The morning started out okay
I thank the Lord, go on my way
pour some coffee in a cup
savor the flavor – I can lift it up
My yolk is easy and my burden is light
you’re walking with me
everything’s alright
my yolk is easy and burden is light
you’re walking with me
and everything’s alright
My day of working is okay
move some problems out of my way
use my mind some and my heart
I am satisfied doing my part
My yolk is easy and my burden is light
you’re walking with me
everything’s alright
my yolk is easy and burden is light
you’re walking with me
and everything’s alright
Have I told you lately
that I’m with you, all the way
The day ended up okay
in the quiet I kneel to pray
I kiss my sweet love goodnight
resting next to me, I can hold her tight
My yolk is easy and my burden is light
you’re walking with me
everything’s alright
my yolk is easy and burden is light
you’re walking with me
and everything’s alright.
Lemonade