LightGrams
August 6, 2026
Volume 30, Number 27
I know you’ve heard the old saying: “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!” Lemons are known for their sour taste, and it’s rare to find someone who likes eating the lip-puckering fruit on its own. But add some water and sugar, and you have a favorite summertime beverage.
In 2020, the New Bedford Museum of Whaling in Massachusetts was handed a lemon. Someone reviewed the museum, giving it only one star and added that it was “the worst aquarium ever” (even though there was no aquarium in the museum at that time). That couldn’t have lifted the spirits of any of the staff, but someone recently suggested making lemonade from the sour review.
Merchandise was created featuring one star out of five along with the quote, “Worst Aquarium Ever”. That logo has been printed on T-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags, and sales shot up 250% over previous sales. Since July 20 of this year, the president of the museum said, there have been over 2,400 orders from all over the globe. That’s using a lemon to produce a very sweet result!
The apostle Paul wrote about a lemon handed to him” “… a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me”. It was quite painful (as thorns always are), and “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:7,8). Knowing the power of Jesus over Satan and his army, we expect to read of a miraculous recovery by the apostle.
But, no, the thorn was not removed; it was the Lord’s will for it to remain with this reasoning: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). That could have been a crushing blow for Paul, but instead He turned the sour into something sweet.
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. … For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9,10). Paul continued to feel the pain, but that pain was a reminder to him that the power of Christ was still active in his life.
Sometimes we wonder how we can turn a particular “lemon” into something sweet. Romans 8:28 presents a wonderful promise to keep in mind: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (New American Standard Bible). It’s not always within our power to sweeten life’s lemons – but God can.
Here’s one more promise to keep close to your heart: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:15). The One who can make lemonade out of any lemon has vowed to be with us always.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
~~~~~
Copyright, 2026, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.