Queensland…. beautiful one day……lockdown the next.
It’s a sense of déjà vu as we roll into a week or two of uncertainty. Once again, we are reminded that life can be going along nice and normally, only for it to be turned upside-down in just a matter of hours. And while we are not currently facing weeks of lockdown or online schooling, there can be that unsettling feeling or even dread that starts to return because of negative experiences from the last time.
I’m sure you have heard the old chestnut; ‘if life hands you a lemon, take it and make lemonade’. If you are like me, sometimes hearing that is like having hot coals heaped on your head. It does not help. Well, it appears life has handed us yet another lemon, or maybe for you half a dozen lemons. Sometimes the last thing we can be bothered to do, or even summon the strength to do, is make lemonade. We may even be sick of lemonade itself.
We actually need more than sweet lemonade to replace the sourness of our circumstantial lemons. We need a hope for the future beyond today, tomorrow, and next week. Each disappointing day can serve to remind us that this is not our permanent home. When the circumstances don’t go our way, we all long for a better life where there are no more tears, disappointments, sorrows, or suffering. A life where the God who faithfully promised to keep us to the end will wipe every tear of disappointment away forever. Isaiah 43 reminds us that until that day, He will remain with us through each and every lemon soured experience.
“But now, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:1-2
