When the chaos of living seems to spontaneously erupt around us, it is so easy to get caught up in initial fear that sparks, and to get lost in the panic that follows.
Chaos and fear seem to be best friends, don't they?
And when chaos and fear team up, panic is their result.
When we see a storm coming our way (situations and circumstances in our lives that are difficult, that are painful, that just won't let up), or when we wake up and it is just right on top of us, all that we can see are the giant sun-blocking waves, the relentless howling wind, and we can feel the boat of our existence rocking violently to-and-fro headed toward deeper and darker water.
We fear what we see in front of us, what we see is chaos, and we lose control.
We fear what we can't see in front of us, and what we cannot see sends us into panic.
Let's talk about this.
When I am usually going through a difficult time, or, lets be honest, when I feel like I am drowning in the abyss of everything that is going wrong in my life at one particular moment, I am reminded of an old saying that I have always heard growing up: "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade".
Okay, I get it. When life hands out these crazy situations, from joblessness (represent!), to illness, to issues in relationships, we take what we are given and we try to stay positive by making the most out of those situations.
Now, this may just be my weirdo Kim mind, but I never made lemonade out of any of my lemons because I never really could make sense of that phrase.
Let me show you my thinking: the phrase itself says to us that when difficult situations enter our lives, situations and circumstances that we don't have control over (otherwise known as "lemons") it is up to us to take control of them and try to make the best out of whatever chaos is happening to/around us. We couldn't control the lemons entering our lives, but now that they are here, we can take them by their yellow zest and smush them into obedient citrus fruits. Now that these lemons are ours, we can control them.
Control? Com'on now. We all know what happens when we attempt to take control, that lemonade is SOUR.
But the truth of the matter is that the attempt to make lemonade out of life's lemons is a subtle way of saying "pull yourself up by the bootstraps, pull yourself together, be strong on your own strength..."
What if your boots got washed away in the chaos of the storm, or you lost them in your fear, or you threw them overboard in panic?!
In my 25 years of life, it is difficult for many people to believe that I have had my share of lemons. But boy-o-boy, would those people be mistaken (another blog for another time).
What has helped me in life as each lemon fell into my lap, smashed me over the headed, or knocked me off my feet and onto my butt, was to grab on to the lovely hand of Perspective.
Ahhhh, perspective. You sweet and frustrating mystery.
We have a choice on our perspectives. Here are some examples that I just made up:
Looking back at where we were a year ago, or a decade ago, and seeing where we are now, I bet most of us would see a drastic change in ourselves. A positive change, a type of change where you never want to go back to who you were. This is the perspective of "the change".
Looking at the material things of this world, what we used to have or didn't have, and realizing what all of that didn't mean a thing, because beauty and blessing exists in friends, family, and intimate relationships with God and others. This is the perspective of "worth".
Looking at the world around us and realizing that it is full of pain and suffering and billions of people don't know that a loving God exists to know them and heal them, and attempting to display and share the reality of Jesus with others. This is the perspective of "eternity".
Did you notice what I did there? It is all about where we look.
Chaos, fear, panic, they are all going to happen to us, and it is gonna hurt.
Be we have a choice. Where do we look?
If we look to the chaos, we will be afraid, and that fear will eat us up into panic if we let it fester.
If we look to the waves, they will seem to big to overcome and we might lose heart and never see that the sun is rising to a new day.
It we look to the wind, we will feel its momentary power and believe it will never end, and we will give up before the storm subsides and the clouds disappear.
If we look to the boat we are on, rocking about in pitch black darkness, we will be too afraid to even look to the shore where a lighthouse searches for us.
But, if we look forward to the One who has always been there, and will be there until the very last breath of the world, we will see that He is in all things and He does all things well. He is a rescuer, redeemer, counselor, deliverer, friend, confidant, and lover of us.
So let me try to simplify this late-night rant blog into something simple: Life stinks, chaos happens, wounds and scars form, people hurt us, we hurt ourselves, mistakes are made, we get scared, we get lonely, we get panicked, we go crazy, but in the end what matters most is that we are looking to and running toward our Daddy. Because even when we have no idea what is happening, He knows what is going on, and He knows us, and He is just waiting for us to switch our Perspectives to Him.
Please, try this with me next time you are in a pickle (or find a lemon in your lap), stop looking at the lemons and look toward Him.
Chaos and fear seem to be best friends, don't they?
And when chaos and fear team up, panic is their result.
When we see a storm coming our way (situations and circumstances in our lives that are difficult, that are painful, that just won't let up), or when we wake up and it is just right on top of us, all that we can see are the giant sun-blocking waves, the relentless howling wind, and we can feel the boat of our existence rocking violently to-and-fro headed toward deeper and darker water.
We fear what we see in front of us, what we see is chaos, and we lose control.
We fear what we can't see in front of us, and what we cannot see sends us into panic.
Let's talk about this.
When I am usually going through a difficult time, or, lets be honest, when I feel like I am drowning in the abyss of everything that is going wrong in my life at one particular moment, I am reminded of an old saying that I have always heard growing up: "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade".
Okay, I get it. When life hands out these crazy situations, from joblessness (represent!), to illness, to issues in relationships, we take what we are given and we try to stay positive by making the most out of those situations.
Now, this may just be my weirdo Kim mind, but I never made lemonade out of any of my lemons because I never really could make sense of that phrase.
Let me show you my thinking: the phrase itself says to us that when difficult situations enter our lives, situations and circumstances that we don't have control over (otherwise known as "lemons") it is up to us to take control of them and try to make the best out of whatever chaos is happening to/around us. We couldn't control the lemons entering our lives, but now that they are here, we can take them by their yellow zest and smush them into obedient citrus fruits. Now that these lemons are ours, we can control them.
Control? Com'on now. We all know what happens when we attempt to take control, that lemonade is SOUR.
But the truth of the matter is that the attempt to make lemonade out of life's lemons is a subtle way of saying "pull yourself up by the bootstraps, pull yourself together, be strong on your own strength..."
What if your boots got washed away in the chaos of the storm, or you lost them in your fear, or you threw them overboard in panic?!
In my 25 years of life, it is difficult for many people to believe that I have had my share of lemons. But boy-o-boy, would those people be mistaken (another blog for another time).
What has helped me in life as each lemon fell into my lap, smashed me over the headed, or knocked me off my feet and onto my butt, was to grab on to the lovely hand of Perspective.
Ahhhh, perspective. You sweet and frustrating mystery.
We have a choice on our perspectives. Here are some examples that I just made up:
Looking back at where we were a year ago, or a decade ago, and seeing where we are now, I bet most of us would see a drastic change in ourselves. A positive change, a type of change where you never want to go back to who you were. This is the perspective of "the change".
Looking at the material things of this world, what we used to have or didn't have, and realizing what all of that didn't mean a thing, because beauty and blessing exists in friends, family, and intimate relationships with God and others. This is the perspective of "worth".
Looking at the world around us and realizing that it is full of pain and suffering and billions of people don't know that a loving God exists to know them and heal them, and attempting to display and share the reality of Jesus with others. This is the perspective of "eternity".
Did you notice what I did there? It is all about where we look.
Chaos, fear, panic, they are all going to happen to us, and it is gonna hurt.
Be we have a choice. Where do we look?
If we look to the chaos, we will be afraid, and that fear will eat us up into panic if we let it fester.
If we look to the waves, they will seem to big to overcome and we might lose heart and never see that the sun is rising to a new day.
It we look to the wind, we will feel its momentary power and believe it will never end, and we will give up before the storm subsides and the clouds disappear.
If we look to the boat we are on, rocking about in pitch black darkness, we will be too afraid to even look to the shore where a lighthouse searches for us.
But, if we look forward to the One who has always been there, and will be there until the very last breath of the world, we will see that He is in all things and He does all things well. He is a rescuer, redeemer, counselor, deliverer, friend, confidant, and lover of us.
So let me try to simplify this late-night rant blog into something simple: Life stinks, chaos happens, wounds and scars form, people hurt us, we hurt ourselves, mistakes are made, we get scared, we get lonely, we get panicked, we go crazy, but in the end what matters most is that we are looking to and running toward our Daddy. Because even when we have no idea what is happening, He knows what is going on, and He knows us, and He is just waiting for us to switch our Perspectives to Him.
Please, try this with me next time you are in a pickle (or find a lemon in your lap), stop looking at the lemons and look toward Him.
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