“He looks like he was weaned on a sour pickle.” “She must have been sucking on a lemon.” We all know people like that, don’t we? Folk who carry a grudge against life and are so bitter that being around them gives us the flavor of sour pickles or lemons. And, some of the most bitter are people who don't appear to have that many problems. On the other hand we all know people who seem to have gotten a rotten deal in life, had many things go wrong, many hurdles in their path, and yet press on with a smile and joyful heart.

When we look at Naomi in the book of Ruth we see someone who had a lot of pain in her life. First she had to leave her home because of a famine. Then her husband died, and shortly after that her two sons as well. That left her a widow indeed, a woman with no means of support living in a land that was not her home. So it is not surprising to read that she returned home to Bethlehem with a lot of bitterness. So much so that she insisted on changing her name from Naomi, which means pleasant, to Mara, which means bitter, and blamed God for treating her so bitterly (Ruth 1:20-21). Little did she know the great glory God had planned for her, and when it came in the form of a grandson through Ruth and Boaz she embraced the new found blessing with joy (Ruth 4:16-17).

What about us? Do we approach life with a sour lemon look or with a smile on our face and joy in our heart? Everyone has heartache and pain, some more than others, and a PMA (positive mental attitude) won’t make it go away. However, we have the ability to choose whether or not we’ll let the pain poison us in bitterness or push us into the arms of Jesus. And, since this is Sensual Service Saturday, let's ask one last question. How do we approach worship? Do we drag in as if church is the last place we want to be? Do we think or say, “Do I have to go to church today?” Or do we skip in with a cheerful smile filled with exuberant joy? Let go of the bitterness and choose joy, and be sure to spread it all around with a spirit of generosity. After all isn’t that what Jesus did for us on the cross?