When my twins were 10 months old, my husband gave them each a lemon slice to suck on. You could have paused time as the other friendly diners at Perkins all tuned in to watch the spectacle of scrunched up faces.

To all of our amazement, my son sucked on his lemon like it was a lollipop. No sour reaction, no squeals of surprise, no pursed lips whatsoever. He then gnawed on the bitter rind like it was a teething ring, completely refusing to give us the satisfaction of a chuckle.

Not sure whether to be disappointed or impressed, we tried with his twin sister. No hilarious video captured there either. She tasted it, looked at her dad as though he had betrayed her, and burst into tears. The entire restaurant had to endure her on-and-off wailing for the next hour, until we shuffled out of there with our meal in to-go boxes and our tails between our legs.

In retrospect, perhaps we should not have treated our infants like a party trick for the Perkins dinner crowd. Although we didn’t get the funny memory we expected, that moment has stuck with me for other reasons.

Sometimes it feels like God is handing out lemons just to see how we will react to them. Every time I face a disappointing or challenging circumstance, I wish I could handle it more like my son: unfazed and carrying on with my life.

In reality though, I end up reacting more like my daughter. I melt into a mess of stress, anxiety, and frustration. I feel personally betrayed by my Heavenly Father. And I unknowingly force any nearby people to suffer with me in the crisis.

While it is true that we will face sour circumstances in life, it is not because God is in heaven looking for a laugh (aren’t you glad God is not a parent like us!?). In fact, His Word promises otherwise:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 ESV

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11 ESV

Our good, good Father created us for a fulfilling, fun, and fruitful life! But, thanks to our fallen human nature (side-eyeing you, Eve), life can feel like it’s got a cannon full of lemons, locked and loaded and aimed at your forehead.

The good news is, Jesus died and rose again to redeem us so we could experience deep and fulfilling contentment. As great as eternal peace will be, you need to know that contentment—a satisfied joy and confidence—is available today! Jesus has provided a way—not to make your life easy-peasy lemon squeezy, but to make something beautiful and edifying from every challenge you face. Like the old saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, we can see every crisis as an opportunity to experience contentment.

So get your blue glass tumbler ready for an outpouring of grace that might just overflow your cup!