{"id":931,"date":"2011-07-03T07:34:31","date_gmt":"2011-07-03T11:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=931"},"modified":"2011-06-27T10:38:48","modified_gmt":"2011-06-27T14:38:48","slug":"turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/07\/turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>While writing about the members of Special Gathering who are grateful for their lives even though they are mentally challenged and often have serious disabilities, I received an e-mail from a young missionary working China.\u00a0 She just returned back to China from her home in Arkansas.\u00a0 (Yes, Arkansas produces things other than presidential candidates and chickens.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to share part of her e-mail with you.<\/p>\n

I got off the plane craving those little flat sweet bread things that a man and lady sell on the corner of the street outside my apartment building.\u00a0 I looked for the big metal barrel that\u00a0they use to cook the bread, but didn\u2019t see it for the first two days that I was here.\u00a0 Then after school yesterday, I spotted it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sure enough, there they were with the big ball of dough, seasoning, and the big barrel with the fire that they stick the flattened dough inside.\u00a0 By inside, I really mean \u201cto the side\u201d\u2026to the side of the inside.\u00a0 I wish I could mail them home, but they wouldn\u2019t be warm and some of the yumminess is in the coldness in which you receive them.\u00a0 Coldness being the weather, not the service.\u00a0 Not at all.\u00a0 The people are so sweet and have huge smiles.<\/em><\/p>\n

But yesterday, I noticed something different.\u00a0 The man\u2019s hands are so red and almost swollen.\u00a0\u00a0He\u00a0spends\u00a0his whole life rolling dough to make \u201cwu mai,\u201d five mao or the\u00a0equivalent of six cents in US dollars for one little bread.\u00a0 His hands are red because this is his livelihood. <\/em>He stands out in the cold and then sticks his hands inside the very hot barrel to take the bread out.\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

And so, my thought is this\u2026What makes me so blessed that\u00a0I\u00a0have what I have?\u00a0 I really can\u2019t explain how seeing hard-working men like this man messes me up.\u00a0 Seriously, it\u2019s not justice.\u00a0 I don\u2019t work that hard and I\u00a0don\u2019t have to worry about having the things I need.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am warm and well fed.\u00a0 I have clothes for my body and shoes for my feet.\u00a0 I hope that my life is a picture of gratefulness and more than that I hope I never take what I have for granted.\u00a0 \u201cLord, let me not get so wrapped up in comparing with those who have more than me that I forget how rich I really am.\u00a0 Forgive me when I thank so backwards.\u00a0 Help me to notice those around me and teach me how to love and give.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

How perfectly this explains the way I feel each day because I have been honored to know a group of\u00a0people at Special Gathering who experience deep gratitude because of their deep needs and wounds.<\/p>\n

Are there some people you know who have touched your life because of their generous and grateful spirist in the middle of deep needs?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While writing about the members of Special Gathering who are grateful for their lives even though they are mentally challenged and often have serious disabilities, I received an e-mail from a young missionary working China.\u00a0 She just returned back to China from her home in Arkansas.\u00a0 (Yes, Arkansas produces things other than presidential candidates and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,3,40,10,16,8,85],"tags":[21,688,696,7,699,175,701,13,694,689,57,692,6],"class_list":["post-931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-prayer-2","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-gratitude","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disabilities","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-prayer","tag-religion","tag-simple-scriptural-truths"],"yoast_head":"\nTurning Lemons into Lemonade Part 2 - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/07\/turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part 2 - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While writing about the members of Special Gathering who are grateful for their lives even though they are mentally challenged and often have serious disabilities, I received an e-mail from a young missionary working China.\u00a0 She just returned back to China from her home in Arkansas.\u00a0 (Yes, Arkansas produces things other than presidential candidates and…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/07\/turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-07-03T11:34:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-06-27T14:38:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/06\/carlos-and-offereing.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part 2 - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/07\/turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part 2 - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"While writing about the members of Special Gathering who are grateful for their lives even though they are mentally challenged and often have serious disabilities, I received an e-mail from a young missionary working China.\u00a0 She just returned back to China from her home in Arkansas.\u00a0 (Yes, Arkansas produces things other than presidential candidates and…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/07\/turning-lemons-into-lemonade-part-2.html","og_site_name":"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","article_published_time":"2011-07-03T11:34:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-06-27T14:38:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/06\/carlos-and-offereing.jpeg"}],"author":"Linda G. 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