When Life Gives You Lemons

17"Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

He makes my feet like the deer's;

He makes me tread on my high places."

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)

Life always has a way of disappointing us.  Whether it's the people in our life or the circumstances surrounding us, we are bound to face disappointment.  Because of our human nature, it's guaranteed to happen sooner or later.  Sometimes those disappointments we face are major, life-altering tragedies.  Someone we love passes away or receives a sobering diagnosis, parents are in the midst of a divorce, a job is lost, a fire destroys all our earthly possessions. More often than not, those disappointments are much smaller, yet still we become frustrated over the change in our plans.  So often I find myself focusing on the circumstances that I selfishly become consumed with my own frustration over the changes taking place.  I lose my joy because I placed it in the incorrect place from the beginning.  Fortunately, God knew we would face difficulties in life, so He filled His Word with many reminders to keep us on track.  In Hebrews 13:8 we are given an incredible promise:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

We can place our trust and confidence in God because His nature never changes.  He isn't swayed by the ways of man.  Thankfully, He doesn't operate the way that I do, changing my mind from one moment to the next, or having difficulty making a decision.  Charles Spurgeon says in his Morning & Evening devotional, "Beings act according to their nature: when those natures change, their conduct varies also; but since God cannot know the shadow of a turning, His ways will abide everlastingly the same."  We can lift our eyes to the One who remains constant, and find our joy in Him, not in the mess around us.  A disappointing day does not change the fact that we, Christians belong to the God of the universe.  No matter our circumstances, whether they be big or small, we can always rejoice in the Lord!