Learning to Make Lemonade

Emily Lucas

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the Masters of turning lemons into lemonade, of opening a window when a door shuts, of authoring a silver lining. Multiple times in the scriptures the Lord reminds us that "all things shall work together for your good." I was reminded of this beautiful truth as I listened to Elder Uchtdorf's most recent General Conference talk, God Among Us. He reminded us that we are infants in our progress toward Godhood. And just as we have patience and love toward little toddlers learning to walk, our Father and Savior have eternal patience and understanding as we stumble our way through mortality.

I think it is easy for us to get frustrated and to want to see progress more readily. It is easy to judge ourselves and to feel down about our shortcomings and sins. And the world makes it all too easy to make judgments about others and their mistakes. All lemons here. But it hit me so hard that our Father doesn't see us that way. Of course, He wants to spare us the bumps and
bruises that our decisions may bring us. But he sees it all as steps toward Him and eternal growth and progress. Steps toward lemonade. And He is quick to forgive.

"Like a musician rehearsing scales, we can see our missteps, flaws, and sins as opportunities for greater self-awareness, deeper and more honest love for others, and
refinement through repentance. If we repent, mistakes do not disqualify us. They are part of our progress."

Self-awareness.
Honest love for others.
Refinement.
Progress.

Such beautiful blessings as a result of mistakes and repentance. Such delicious lemonade.

I add my testimony to Elder Uchtdorf’s:

“My beloved friends, your Heavenly Father loves you with a perfect love. He has proven His love in endless ways, but above all by giving His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice and as a gift to His children to make the return to our heavenly parents a reality.”

I know that Heavenly Father roots for us. Cheers us on. Rejoices in our good times and weeps with us in our bad times. I know that because of Jesus Christ, our shortcomings, even our outright failures, can lead us back to Him as happier, more loving, understanding, and all-around better individuals. Our weaknesses can truly become our strengths in Christ. May we all be a little kinder to ourselves along this journey of life.

May we all offer a little more patience and grace to each other as we each traverse this unknown road of mortality. May we all
find more peace and light through Christ and his eternal second chances. May we look on in wonder and awe as He brings all things together for our good.

Emily Lucas
View Pointe Neighborhood
First Councilor in Primary Presidency