Materials
needed:
lemons, pitcher of water, sugar, paper cups, and wooden spoon for
stirring.
Tell each child that you have something special for them to drink,
and hand them a half of a lemon. Of course, they know that to
drink straight lemon juice would be very sour or bitter. Tell
them how this lemon they’re holding is like our troubles or trials.
Trying to drink straight lemon juice is like trying to handle our
troubles or trials on our own.
The Bible say in I Corinthians 10:13 that our temptations or trials
(symbolized by our lemon) are something that is common to man.
Everyone has troubles they go through, but how should we handle our
troubles? Have the children squeeze their lemons as hard as they
can over a large pitcher of water. Just as we let the juice pour
out of this lemon, we need to take our trial or the thing that is
bugging us and pour it out to God. In Psalm 142:2, David pours
out his trouble to God. (Briefly explain how he was running from
Saul for his life.) We do this by going to God in prayer.
1Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Psalm
142:2
I poured out my complaint before him; I showed
before him my trouble.
Now,
I take a cup of sugar and add it to the lemon water, and it becomes
lemonade. This is like God adding His grace to our troubles that
we have talked to Him about in prayer. He may not take away your
lemon, but He gives you the grace to deal with your problem and make
it through. Just as it says in I Corinthians
10:13, He will make a way that we are able to bear our trial.
You can let the children drink some lemonade at this point.
Share an experience in your life that you took to God and prayer and
were able to overcome because of His grace. Here is an
experience that I shared. When my dad passed away, it was a
very difficult time for me, and I needed help to pour this out before
the Lord. I didn’t feel like I could face going to the
funeral, but after people in my church prayed with me, I knew I would
be okay. I had to continue to pray on my own too. God
showed me that even though my dad was gone, I could still remember all
the good times we had, and this was one of the things that helped me
to overcome the grief I felt.
What do you have in your life that is like a lemon to you?
Have you poured it out to God? If you really feel overwhelmed by
it, it’s okay to ask Christian friends to help you pray about it
too. Give God your lemons, and watch His grace turn it into
lemonade!
Blessed
Lemonade
My trouble was like a lemon
A bitter, fearful thing I could not bear
So with weeping and great lamentation
I poured it out to God in prayer.
Then I saw, as if in a vision
A gigantic sugar bowl,
And some sugar spilled out and began to mix
With the many tears of my soul.
After much thought, I finally realized
The tears I cried over my “lemon”
Made me sad, distraught and afraid,
But God took and stirred in
His oh, so sweet grace
And gave me back lemonade!
Copyright 2005 Carol Lynn Connell
connellhome@juno.com
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