Waiting

Ahh, waiting...definitely not my strong point! Peter and I are stuck in an airport in Dallas right now. Our plane was delayed and we're having to wait for it to leave Houston and head this way. My first reaction to this "delayed" news was that of irritation. Our day was going so good and we were going to get to Midland with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the scenery, maybe do a little shopping. Those were our plans, and I'm a "plan" kind of person. I don't react kindly when my plans are messed up...just ask my husband!
And now I'm being forced to wait for an unknown amount of time. It's just frustrating!
But then I heard something.
I overheard the ticket guy explaining to another passenger that our plane was delayed getting here because of a tornado in Florida. The plane's route had to be changed in order to maintain the safety of the passengers and to avoid the oncoming storm. My irritation suddenly seemed very petty and small when I considered the fact that I would hope pilots on a plane I'm on would put my safety first too!
Then I was suddenly reminded of Who the pilot of my life is and of how so very often I chart my own course, come up with my own flight plan, and then get irritated when my plans are delayed or changed because of unforeseen circumstances. 

I usually never stop to consider that I'm not the pilot, God is. I'm just the co-pilot, and sometimes really, I'm just a passenger, waiting to get to my next destination. I can't see the bigger picture, but He can. Those delays and waiting times should just be seen as opportunities to be busy where I am, and also as affirmation that the God of the universe has His hand of protection over my small little grouchy undeserving passenger of a self!
So I'm still waiting on my plane, but now I'm doing so with a smile on my face! I'm DELIBERATELY waiting. It has a purpose. Just like I know that God also has a purpose for every day of my life...even when I'm waiting!

More Than Lemonade!

A lemon is a strange fruit.
It's such a bright pretty color, and it has these huge green leaves on the stem.  To look at it, you'd never guess how incredibly sour tasting the actual fruit part is!  When I think about a fruit, my first thought is of eating it!  I personally would never eat a lemon by itself.  It's not the least bit enjoyable.  Peter and I gave both our kids lemons when they were babies just so we could laugh hysterically at the funny expression they made as they bit in to it!  I know, that's horrible...but it was also funny!
Be careful with that lemon juice though!  If the lemon juice squirts you in the eye, or gets in the tiniest cut, well, it hurts like a mug!
A lemon is one of those things in life that make me wonder exactly what God pictured us using them for when He created them?  Was there a grand purpose, or did God just want to laugh at us like I laughed at my own kids?! I'm just kidding. There's a purpose to everything God does!
A lemon CAN be used, and used well, once you know the correct ways to use it!
I love, love, love drinking an ice cold glass of water with some fresh lemon juice squeezed in.  Yum.  It makes my mouth water right now just thinking about it!  A little bit goes a long way though, so don't over-squeeze!
The lemon rind can be used in tons of cooking recipes.  I'm actually baking lemon cakes this weekend that call for lemon zest (the rind) and lemon juice!
Lemon juice can also be used to clean with, shine stainless steel, keep other fruits from discoloring, and kill germs on cutting boards!
And there are tons of other uses as well.  I don't like lemonade so that old adage "when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade" does NOT apply to me...but it may to you!
Like I said, a lemon is strange fruit.  It's a fruit that's not really eaten as a fruit.
But even though it appears sour and useless upon first inspection, if you dig deeper and try harder, you can find so many ways to use this beautiful fruit.
My life is that way occasionally. Honestly, more often than not! On the outside, it looks pretty, bright...but on the inside a bit of sourness creeps in.  An unexpected shock occurs and I make that scrunched-up face and stick my tongue out at the problem. Sometimes, I would rather put that lemon on the shelf and ignore it and it's sourness.  But, like the lemon, God has allowed this problem here for a purpose at this specific time in my life.  I have to dig deeper, look passed the sourness, and figure out where the good lies inside this particular lemon.  And there's always a good!  If I'm willing to put the effort into scraping the rind to get the zest of life, or putting pressure on it and working to get the juice out, it turns out good in the end.
I'm dealing with a bit of lemon right now, and it's been awesome to me, once I asked God to show me how to use it, to watch that lemon turn into something sweet instead of something sour.
When life serves you a lemon, don't just assume you're only choice is lemonade...make it creative, dig deeper and make that sour thing turn into something miraculously sweet in your life!  That's my prayer for you and I both!