Every one of us knows a Mr. Kevin….my dad is also one of these…If you know him, you love him…or do you hate him…or maybe it’s both…it’s really hard to decide sometimes. They have a heart of gold, and strong beliefs. It’s in the delivery process of these beliefs that sometimes when they are done we are left feeling like….what in the world just happened here? But when you sort it all out…they are normally correct!
Mr. Kevin once said to me when describing himself, “Not everyone likes strawberry, or vanilla….so that’s why God made chocolate”. My first thought was, “But chocolate is my favorite food EVER CREATED by God for us to enjoy! Especially when it’s big chunks of it mixed in my ice cream!” Mr. Kevin could NOT be chocolate!
But if he’s not strawberry, vanilla OR chocolate…what is he exactly?
I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Kevin is a LEMON! On the outside it looks nice enough…but that first bite…just makes your mouth draw up just thinking about it doesn’t it? I mean, we give it to our babies…just so we can watch the awful expression that they make & laugh at them. Don’t give up on me Mr. Kevin…it gets better 🙂
Then again…when we gave it to Grace the first time…after that initial awful face, she LOVED IT! One of her favorite treats when we go out to eat is eating everyone’s lemons off of their water glasses.
…and…if you think about it…you can really appreciate the Lemon & all that it ads to our culinary delights…
Sometimes that lemon needs just the perfect amount of sugar, water & ice added to it. On a HOT Summer day, here in Alabama…a tall glass of fresh squeezed ice cold lemonade would be refreshingly delightful! Just what we wanted!
What about the flavor it ads to our favorite foods? Lemon Pepper Chicken, Lemon Ice Box Pie, Lemon & butter on our fish, etc. etc. etc….and my personal favorite use of lemon…lemon water…the lemon just makes it taste better! WE LOVE LEMON!!!
Not only that…consider this! We sometimes use Lemon as a preserving agent! We are instructed to use lemon juice on our fresh fruit to keep it from turning brown!
I’m sure there are many other uses…but those are the first things that come to my mind. While some people just don’t like lemon, in any form, ever…for most of us if we would take a little time to get to know the “lemon” we would embrace the very thing that upon first glance, and taste, we think we don’t even like at all. When we take the time to understand it, we are able to see it’s value. What a variety of ways that this simple, little, yellow fruit ads so much flavor & zest to our lives!
So Mr. Kevin…and all you other Lemons out there….make no more apologies for who you are! You are a gift to the body of Christ just as you are. Sometimes God just has to use another person to come along & add a little sugar…or maybe He only needs a little of your citrus juices to make this particular recipe of life exactly what is needed at the time. At times…the Lord has put you in a place with those who need you…your gifts act as a preserving agent…to keep them.
Sometimes He even needs you…just simply you…the whole fruit…because there are a few people out there who just LOVE YOU…the WHOLE FRUIT…exactly like you are! Thank you for being the whole lemon to me…sometimes those things you have spoken in boldness are the things that I actually remember at just the perfect time.
You(Mr. Kevin) once said to me…A tree is content with being just a tree. Exactly what it was created to do…the same thing goes for the Lemon. Be happy & content as the Lemon that God made you!
“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Ephesians 4:16
…and if this didn’t make a bit of sense…or you don’t like it…I will gladly hit “delete”….seriously.
The Journey is... 