When You Want Five Stars and You End Up With Two (Life Lessons from Lemonade Stands and Hotels that Smell)
My kids and their friends raised nearly $1000 dollars with a little lemonade stand this week.
Yes, you read that right, one thousand dollars.
Thirty-three months worth of allowance at our house.
Enough money to fund one of these exotic cruises or to go to the movie theater 142 times.
Or to help save the home of 112 orphans in Sierra Leone, Africa.
And that’s exactly what my little entrepreneurs did with their profits.
With giddy joy, they gave every last cent from their lemonade sales to this little girl, who, in turn, passed it along to these precious children.
Lemonade for Life. Now that the money has been turned over; now that the sticky table has been packed away; now that the house is eerily quiet and my big kids are back in school, I sit awed by God’s faithfulness.
From the comfort of my couch this morning, I know without a doubt that Monday’s lemonade stand was a wise trade- a few small hours of effort for a priceless lesson about our great BIG God.
But I have a confession to make: I nearly killed the idea before it began.
And it’s not because I don’t care about orphans.
Or because I don’t like lemonade stands.
Or because I didn’t think my kids could handle the challenge.
No, I nearly strangled my childrens’ life-giving idea because, quite honestly, it was just downright inconvenient.
A lemonade stand on the last day of summer? Are you kidding?
We’ve got to organize everyone’s school supplies, pack backpacks, find last year’s book covers.
We’ve got to go meet the teachers, practice locker-combos, find everyone’s classrooms in new schools, and purchase P.E. t-shirts and lunch passes.
We’ve got a dozen half-begun summer projects that need finishing.
And a big brother who has to be dropped off at football practice. And a little brother who needs a ride to the soccer field.
And somehow I need to get enough laundry done so that everyone can go to school in clean underwear.
But, thankfully, before I put voice to my string of objections, I thought about my friend, Amy.
And of the story she is living with her life, the story of how one middle class American family attempts to live a life that values people over possessions, others over ourselves, and service over entitlement.
And thanks to this inspiring friend, I swallowed my no and choked out a feeble yes.
And thanks to that simple yes, my children, and 112 children in Africa will never be the same.
Don’t you wish you had a friend like Amy?
Why not take a moment today to get to know her and learn her secret to making the most of the life you’ve been given, right where you are.
Here’s she is…
When I was five months pregnant with our first child, my husband and I took a trip to Santa Fe.
Art, ruins, food, turquoise jewelry, and one last, baby-free adventure.
Before the trip, I carefully investigated hotels. I searched online, read reviews, asked friends, and booked the perfect place to stay.
Desert Wonder, here we come.
But when we arrived at the hotel, it reeked of cat pee.
(Insert the wrath of a disappointed pregnant woman…Over the top crying, snot slinging, and oh yeah, “where are the Funyons I specifically asked you to bring?”)
The situation became worse when we found out every room in town was full.
How could this be? I did everything right. I knew people who stayed at the hotel. I poured over online pictures. I asked questions. I didn’t go cheap.
I was promised a four-star hotel, and I sat in a two-star mess.
Do you ever feel the same way about circumstances in life?
You expect a four (or cross your fingers), five-star situation, but you end up in two-star, cat-pee chaos?
I’ve been thinking about my Santa Fe trip as I find myself in a year of risk.
Sometimes I expect fulfillment. I want all life’s pieces to fit and form the exact picture on the box.
I want what was advertised. Sometimes I even talk myself into thinking God wants my wishes as well.
But that’s wrong.
God doesn’t promise butterflies, puppies, or fulfillment.
Often we expect four or five star situations because our lives are charmed.
Sure, we struggle, but we’ve become accustomed to getting life our way, right away.
So accustomed in fact, we forget just because situations aren’t ideal doesn’t mean they aren’t right.
We lose sight of life being a pilgrimage and not a drive-thru.
My idea? Embrace your two- star situation. Accept where you are.
*Important note: This advice does not apply to any circumstance involving cat pee. In all cat pee situations, just sit on the bed and cry about the Funyons your neglectful husband forgot on the counter back home.
Your turn. I’d love to hear about a recent two-star situation. Tell, tell.
Congrats on the $1000, Sara! Holy cow!
I can totally relate to the “where you are vs where you want to be” battle which rages in my head. Why can’t we ever accept that where we are is really where we are suppossed to be? Ugh!
Thanks for the congrats on the book!
I’m so convicted by the squelching of ideas due to convenience!! Although, most of my boys’ ideas involve huge messes with little reward, except for the fact that they can fly from the top bunk and slam onto every blanket/pillow/towel in the house without breaking any bones.
Our VBS kids recently raised $1000 for the Imagine No Malaria campaign. It’s so exciting to see what little hands can do!!
Amy, your words spoke to me so much–you have no idea. I’ve been struggling the past couple of years with where I am and where I think I should be. I agonize over moving forward or staying put, waiting to hear something clear from God, and so often lose focus of all the great stuff God has for me right her in the present. Thanks so much for this reminder!! Congratulations on the book! I’m so excited for you!!
Cat pee is the worst. The. Worst. When we moved my mom out of our childhood home, a house which had sheltered many, many cats over the years. Well, just don’t get me started. Let’s just say I’ve got significant baggage with cats.
And in Santa Fe of all places? Santa Fe is one of my favoritest places on the planet. The air smells like roasted chiles. If you couldn’t appreciate it because of the overwhelming smell of cat pee, well that’s just heartbreaking. Hope you get to go back sometime and really soak up the beauty.
And the lemonade stand–kudos! I think many of us on the other side of this computer screen would have just gone ahead and said no for some or all the reasons you cited. Good on you for allowing it to happen. Even if the kids didn’t have clean underwear to start school 🙂
Nancy,
THANK GOODNESS that wasn’t my only visit to Santa Fe…whew! I am afraid to get you started on anything related to cat pee and a house that shelters many cats scares me. I am pretty anti-cat. Tell this to my daughter who just suckered us into a kitten. Ugh.
I wonder how many times I have missed out on something special, God-ordained even, because it wasn’t convenient for me. I LOVE what your kids did and I LOVE that you let them! And I LOVE Ms. Amy but she already knows that : ) Embracing my two-star life this very moment.
Mindy,
Go you and your two stars!
The two of you in one place? Makes for a five-star post. 🙂
Girl, you know how to make me smile.
Alicia-What an inspiring story! While your kids are going to remember helping orphans, they are also going to remember your role in this and how their mom encouraged them, even if you sighing in your mind. 🙂
Amy-“Accept where you are” Absolutely, this is something I am working on right now. Being more present in my world. Stop focusing on everyone else that I think has a four-star life. The key word is “think” because everyone has their own struggles and what I think is a four-star life may be hiding their pain. Thank you for this reminder!
Kat,
I’m totally guilty of thinking others have four star situations happening when really they don’t. Yep, yep, that’s me too. Thanks for reading!
i want to be more intentional in the servant realm with my students this year. even though. great post, girlies!
Kendal,
Being more intentional in the servent realm with students can be hard though. . .there are so many other expectations put on teachers. It kind of already feels as if you are tapping every ounce of your blood straight out of you. . .ha!
Love you, girl.
Wow, two great stories in one post…Thanks, Amy, and Alicia 🙂 Wow, what great kids, and a great mom 🙂
It’s Dolly!
Thanks for reading our little combo platter post, and yes, yes, yes, good job, good mom, Alicia!
Oh, Amy, this was such fun to share space with you today. And I AM serious- YOU were the one who ran through my head last week as I waffled on letting my kids serve. I’ve learned so much from you,friend. Thanks for sharing your journey. And for refusing to let the world revolve around you. Your heart blesses mine! Wish we lived closer so we could share a cup of tea (umm, I’ll take coffee) and swap more seedy hotel stories 🙂 You’ve inspired me in too many ways to list. I can’t wait to see what happens when you stop fighting and start floating… seriously, girl, God’s plans for you may be different than you’ve dreamed, but they are gonna be amazing!!! Thanks for being my treasured guest today.
Alicia,
No, thank YOU! for inviting me, my friend! I love how you INSPIRE! Excited you let me share and meet some new faces. This little space you’ve carved out online is an oasis in what can be online madness! Thank you for the encouragement you bring many.
Love this piece. We do live a charmed life and it’s easy to feel “entitled”. When the storm comes and our lives hit the darkest of places, I’m ever so grateful that my parents lived and loved us with God’s everyday presence. Thanks for your insight and living and loving your kids with God’s everyday presence too.
Diane,
I’m constantly worried about my kids’ entitled attitudes, but really the focus needs to be on mine! Sometimes, I think because I don’t want material things that I’m not entitled, but I can be very entitled about how I want situations to turn out.
Thanks for reading!
So many great life lessons here. Thank you, both. It’s a reminder to be slow to speak and relax. (I had a similar experience with our vacation this past spring (we hadn’t had a vacation in over 3 years.) God did provide another place for us to stay, though. Praise Him.
Many blessings for the upcoming school year
Barbara,
Yes, I think we all have our hotel horror stories! So glad God provided another place for you guys.
So disappointing, Amy! And we never found out where you ended up staying? You’ve got me hooked on the suspense! ha! And I love your heart in this as well. It is something God has been challenging me on lately as well–to be less materialistic, less “entitled” and more generous with all that He has so richly blessed me with. I truly am facing a “two-star” situation in an area of my life and have struggled to trust that God knows what He’s doing. Your words give me that gentle nudge I needed to enjoy this moment because there is so much to be thankful for! Thanks also to Alicia for sharing your story too, as well as hosting, Amy’s! Love the little snippet about your kids generous act. You’re a good mom to put up with the inconvenience in view of eternal impact.
Beth,
I am living out my own two star situation right now. . .trying to build and claw my way out of it. It’s crazy, but right before bed the other night, I envisioned myself swimming up stream and my arms felt exhausted.Then, the next minute, I pictured myself floating down this river on a tube. It wasn’t a direction I wanted to go, I just decided to quit fighting and instead float.
Oh, and three cheers for Alicia. Girl, I get the not wanting to start ONE MORE THING, but look at those kids go. This is something they will remember forever!
What beautiful words from two wise women. I love your encouragement from the honest parenting room, Alicia, and what a joy it’s been this summer to meet your writer friends. I wish we could all sit around a table sharing stories and French fries! Blessings to you and Amy today!
I would totally love to join you girls for stories and French fries or maybe some sweet potatoe fries, and now, I’m topic and hungry!
What great hearts of your children… not by chance, I know.
We all want it all, don’t we? It really does take a perspective change to find peace and joy that only comes from serving our Father. The ones that serve themselves first are always the most miserable… Great post.
Floyd,
I stand in awe of the amazing way those kids reached out and God blessed them beyond their dreams! Crazy, crazy. Oh, and I totally agree about those who are miserable only being concerned about serving themselves.
Oh, I love this. Wonderful stories, so worth the living and the telling.
Rachel,
Thanks for reading! Yes, I love the stories in life. They remind to pay more attention to everything around me!