Juicing Lemons

 I’m calling this, “the Lemon Post”. Because for the past 2 days all I have heard from that still small voice in my heart is “write the lemon post”. 🍋😅

This is the list of foods I can eat without my mouth breaking out, gastrointestinal distress or rashes and inflammation all over...turkey, eggs, goat butter, ghee, olive oil, monk fruit and stevia, a few spices like salt, pepper, paprika, sage, basil, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, pecans, lemons and lemon juice,  celery, broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus, lettuce, bell peppers, tomato, cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, cherries, apples, baking soda. 

Since starting immunotherapy through an out of town doctor in Charleston I have worked with in the past back in July, 7 of those things I was able to add to an already very restrictive diet, after going through some very thorough allergy testing. Progress so far is that, chronic staph infections have ceased, and I no longer have daily routine intense reactions every morning as before, only when I try to add back a new food. 

Now to the lemons. Lemon juice is something I use frequently to make dressings and sauces, since I still have so few things to choose from. I was trying to use store bought (even organic) lemon juice but was reacting to it and after some research realized there is probably something added to it not listed. As companies are not required to list everything. Plus did you know citric acid, a common preservative in most foods, is made from a black mold on corn being fed sugar which then produces the desired product? Yep. Do your research. 

As I started juicing fresh lemons recently I have a great electric juicer that produces juice pretty quickly and efficiently. As I began to juice lemons for myself the other day one of the parts to the juicer was missing. I looked for it for a good 20 minutes. I was annoyed at first as, being a big family, everyone pitches in putting stuff away, and sometimes if someone doesn’t know what it is, a part gets thrown in a random place. 

I could have let my day get ruined. Here I am pitiful me, juicing my lemons, and someone is responsible for making my life even harder. Realizing I was going to have to juice them by hand because I needed it now, I began. And while grumbling in my heart, I heard “Can you offer up this hard thing right now? For someone? Can you do this for me my child?” And I began to think of all the intentions I pour out to God every day, and I began to pour myself into that task with each name, each intention, in my mind. And you know what? It was a lot better than grumbling and being resentful. And I am confident God heard and saw, and poured out His Grace. 

What frustrating experience can you turn into a moment of sacrifice, a powerful prayer, an opportunity for grace? It’s simply a flip of your thoughts in the right direction. God can do great things with your tiny offerings. He wastes nothing, and can multiply anything.