Life Can Be Sour At Times

We’re talking about Lemons to Lemonade. Sure, it’s cheesy, but it’s a good reminder that God brings freshness into our lives.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” 

It’s cute, but honestly, sometimes life just feels sour — things don’t go as planned, people let you down, or you’re running late and spill coffee on your shirt.

But here’s the good news: God has a way of taking those sour, unexpected moments and turning them into something sweet.

Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works everything together for good — not just the easy stuff, but the messy, frustrating, lemon-y stuff too.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) — “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Let’s start by looking at what those “lemons” look like in our daily lives — and how God’s perspective makes all the difference.

Lemons can be as small as traffic jams or as big as job loss. Everyone has them.

A great way for us to adjust our thinking is: instead of asking, “Why me?” try asking, “What now, Lord?”

We can also just laugh when things come up. I remember there have been a few times now that we were unloading groceries and one of my kids dropped the gallon of milk or a watermelon — and all I could say was, “Well, at least you dropped it outside… less mess to clean up!”

What’s a little “lemon” moment you’ve had this week?

A lemon on its own is sour, but when mixed with sugar and water, it’s refreshing.

God mixes our struggles with His grace. How refreshing is that?

When we are struggling and just feeling sour, we can turn to God, pray, and ask for help — and there He is to sweeten things up for us with a little love and grace.

I heard someone recently say they started making an “OK, what was good?” list. This is great because it helps us to focus on the good that God brings in our hard moments.

Can you think of something that was a little sour, lemon-like, but God turned it into a sweet moment of realizing how good and faithful He is?

Romans 8:28 is God’s promise — He works all things for good, but His recipe may take time.

So basically, we need to trust the process.

Speaking of process, I was wondering how lemonade was invented — and it seems that it was a process: lemons being sweetened with honey and dates before eventually being sweetened with sugar. Just as it took time for lemonade to become popular as a tart and sugary drink, it also takes time to wait and see what the Lord is doing.

Where do you need to trust the timing and process of things happening in your life?

Let’s talk about God’s process of actually turning them into lemonade.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) — “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

We know what lemonade is — it’s lemon water with sugar (or if you buy the powdered stuff, it’s flavoring with sugar and water). Either way, some sweetener is involved. One way to think about this is that sugar in lemonade is like God’s mercy — it balances the sour parts of our lives.

Add a little sweetener to your life by speaking kind words, even when times are hard.

There is a process of getting just the right number of lemons and sugar stirred together with water. It takes time and patience to get it right.

In life, we have struggles, and we need to learn when and how to get the right truth mixed in so we can balance our minds with what the Holy Spirit has for us.

To start the process, we can pray, and in that we are able to stay connected and continue to be stirred by the Spirit.

What process are you walking through where you need to remember that God provides the right portions of what is needed?

On a hot day, lemonade is refreshing. And when we are walking through a tough season, something refreshing is needed. That’s where you come in — you can encourage others when they are struggling. Sharing stories and testimonies is refreshing because it gives others hope that they will make it through.

So, use the fact that God turned your lemons to lemonade and share that with someone today.

On the other end of that, we can pour ourselves out so much that we forget we also need to be refreshed by God. So don’t forget to be refilled by Him every day.

It’s been borderline overkill with the lemonade talk today, but it’s a great reminder that no matter how sour life gets, God brings sweet blessings.

We’ve talked about lemons, God’s recipe, and how to share the lemonade. Now let’s wrap up with the hope that God brings sweetness out of even the sourest seasons.

Have your kids ever wanted to sell lemonade? Mine have.

Kids see lemonade stands as opportunities. What if we saw our lemons that way — as opportunities for God to shine?

Let’s start looking at challenges as chances for God to show His faithfulness. For God to turn our lemons into lemonade.

Many of us can look back and see God’s hand in times we thought were unbearable.

But the good news is that God’s supply of grace and goodness never runs dry. When one pitcher runs out, He refills it.

God is faithful in all seasons — which is why we are able to be refilled and refreshed every moment. With that, we can remember what God has done for us and be thankful for a loving Father.

God gives hope in a season where there seems to be no hope. He makes a way where there seems to be no way.

He turns lemons into lemonade.

Remember this: life is going to hand us lemons. But with God, those sour moments aren’t wasted. He has a recipe — one that stirs in His mercy, sweetness, and timing until our lives become a refreshing testimony of His goodness.

So, the next time life feels sour, don’t stop at the lemons. Hand them over to God — because He’s the best lemonade maker there is.

With God, even the sourest moments can become the sweetest testimonies.