When life’s demands send us to our knees, or lay us low with illness and fatigue, we receive all the help we need when we look beyond our current circumstances and look up to God.
In the realisation that we have no resources left we are thrown upon God’s mercy and grace, His unlimited strength, stable unchanging character and limitless love.
During the long summer days when I have been absent here, flat-out with fatigue and often too preoccupied to see more than is before me, I’ve found my greatest peace in knowing God has got me covered.
He has given me supernatural strength to care for my husband after his spinal surgery, and energy enough to take on some of the household tasks I usually need to leave in his capable hands.
Yes it’s been tough, really hard and challenging for this woman with M.E. I’ve ached to resume our normal routine again, because my husband’s recovery has been slow and support from others naturally lessened as the weeks went by.
I couldn’t write or be present on social media like I used to. My life shifted into a new gear, demanding all I could give and more besides.
But I always knew (and still do as things ease a little) God was with me, with both of us as we adapted to our challenging changing circumstances.
The cloud of God’s presence overshadows every moment, even as His radiance invites us to look for the glints of light peeking through our own clouds.
He sees all our days. They’re spread out before Him – a tapestry of grace in all its messy, tangled, colourful glory.
He paints beauty within the commonplace and yearns for us to see and sense it, too, those gentle footprints of His presence.
Some days I’ve looked up and watched the glory in the heavens. I’ve also caught a glimpse of things closer to home.
I’ve deliberately been trying to listen to my life, taking photographs of the beauty surrounding me, seeing things from a fresh perspective.
The poem below reveals the advantage of having a lofty perch mentally, if not physically…
A lofty perch
They hover on the brink
close to the edge where
talons meet tile.
Their plump grey plumage
mirroring cloud covering.
Eyes scan the horizon
for a soul mate
to share a lofty perch.
A close companion
become a pigeon pair.
And in the courtship dance
they bill and coo their way
upon life’s stage.
Entranced by heights
they stretch and fly
together now, soft dots
against bright curtain swag
of sun and sky
©JoyLenton2016
Friends, it’s good to be back to writing and sharing here again. I’ve really missed you! Thank you for your patience. Hope you like the new look. The header image is from an arty-style photo of mine taken this summer – an experiment in expressing creativity differently. What has God has been revealing to you this season? I’d love you to share in the comments below. 🙂
Poetry Joy 
“He sees all our days. They’re spread out before Him – a tapestry of grace in all its messy, tangled, colourful glory.” Thank you, Joy. It’s so amazing how His grace is so lovingly woven into the messes of our lives, isn’t it? We could not take one step without His gift of grace and strength for each and every moment. I have been struggling to get back to writing at my blog.
I read in one of your instagram posts on the side column that your husband has been showing small signs of recovery and even cooked three meals in the past two months. Thank you, God! I pray he will further recover and be able to do more. Also that you will get the rest you need. Hugs!
Hi Trudy. It’s lovely to see you here again! These words find an echoing ‘Amen’ in my heart: “We could not take one step without His gift of grace and strength for each and every moment”, because it has proved to be true time without number, especially over the last few months.
Although I may have finally put my head above the parapet here and at Words of Joy, I am still very much taking things slowly,more aware than ever before of my weakness and God’s sustaining grace. When He begins to inspire me anew then (hopefully) words will flow like freely. And the same is true for you, my friend. There are seasons of quiet retreat and slowing down, and we do well to not hasten their ending. You will write again soon and we will be blessed to hear how God has been speaking to you in the interim.
Meanwhile, my husband’s recovery is a bit haphazard at the moment, with small steps forward and backward, rather like a dance. Healing is taking its time but we rejoice over the better days, and try not to lose heart when things are tough. Yes, rest remains a top priority, much as I long to be able to do more. Thank you for your kind concern and prayers. Blessings and hugs! xo
Yes, Joy, it’s so good to be hearing new words from you again! What precious thoughts “to be on the brink close to the edge.” I love large vistas, but I’m not too keen on heights. However, to soar where those wings would take the birds, up there, that is a soul-stretching view! Thank you so much for the encouragement that you bring when your words touch my heart. Still praying for strength for both you and your husband, –Blessings my friend!
Hi Bettie. Your faithfulness to read my words is greatly appreciated! It makes writing more of a joy to know someone is eager to read what is being shared. I share your love of large vistas and uncertainty about heights, even as I long to soar with wings of faith lifting me above my anxieties and fears. Thank YOU for the sweet encouragement your presence brings to my writing spaces. We’re so thankful for your continuing prayers. Praying for you and your beloved as well. May you both have strength, peace and rest as you face life’s challenges together. Blessings and hugs to you, my friend. xo
“a close companion”. . . . “they stretch and fly” – that is what marriage is like, yes! It seems life has been pulling both of us out of routines. Praying that God give us peace and comfort in this different time – and that He show us how to live these changes in grace!
So it is! What a beautiful analogy you have seen in my words. They spoke to me most about the freedom we have in being companioned by God, but I now sense echoes of the closeness of the marriage union. Thank you for reading and sharing your observations here. Bless you, friend. ☺