Sometimes cliche’s are just so…well…cliche. And as Seth would say, “All analogies break down at some point”. So I would like to officially break the “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” cliche/analogy/piece of crap. See here’s the thing, often times, life isn’t politely handing me lemons, I feel like life is hucking them at me at full speed and I’m caught off guard. It’s like I’m in a lemon snowball fight, and I have no cover, nor do I have lemon snowballs to throw back. So when stuck in this position, the last thing I want to do is catch the lemons and cut them in half to juice them with some sugar and sit down and have a frosty beverage. In all honesty, I want to catch one mid-air dodgeball style and throw it back with all my might.
But this whole analogy brings about another question: Who/What is life? I know, that’s another can of worms that has just been opened. But yes, I went there. Ultimately, as one who believes that through Christ’s death, I have been offered life, is God life? If so, I don’t believe that a God who is such a proponent of love, peace, grace, mercy, justice, etc. would throw lemons. So then who is throwing them? Is it the enemy? If so, that bastard (which he is, mind you) shrouds himself well (which he does). So where does that leave me?
I feel like that leaves me stuck in the middle. Maybe the battle of the lemons isn’t even about me! Maybe I am just caught in the cross-fire of the lemon-battle, getting pelted with lemons that were aimed past me, I just happen to be in the way. That would explain why the lemons hurt so hard. Why the lemons can be brutally painful and feel like they are breaking my legs and my arms. Why my spirit has been shattered by a lemon. So no…I don’t want any lemonade. I want the lemons to stop.