shadow: caught in the shadow between life and death

February 27, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 16 Comments

There’s nothing quite like being in a hospital ward to remind us we are caught in the shadow between life and death, hope and despair, as subject as the seasons to alteration and change, with death, disease and decay sitting in our mortal frames.

If we stop and think about it, then we realise how each day, each breath is but a gift. And even if every moment we live slides us closer to the grave, and a dark shadow of sin already exists as a blight over our lives, we are brought alive to the Light in a whole new way by God’s great mercy and grace.

Our part is to live with a mindful awareness, a grateful acceptance, a heart willing to surrender to whatever each new day will bring, a mind able to make room for Mystery within the mundane and a spirit ready to engage with our Creator-God.

Because if we can sit comfortably within this shadow land and make peace with our circumstances, we can begin to learn what God is teaching us right here, right now. Life lessons form the warp and weft of each happening—every thing is speaking to us, if only we make time to heed it and have receptive ears to listen well.

“Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; your rod [to protect] and your staff [to guide] , they comfort me” ~ Psalm 23:4 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition)

Life’s forest shadow

A cool lake mist spray whispers

blue dress of death, smooth as

loving rain on skin. And when

we trudge through life’s forest shadow

recalling dreams diamond like spring

wind plays sweetest rose symphony

singing like lazy sky sleep, but we

want time to shine our light beneath

©joylenton2017

Life’s fire embrace

We cannot always live long

in this cool, fool universe

A vast open sky eternity

lies like a sacred time-kiss

warm and moist with God’s velvet

healing peace, and night is

broken by Life’s fire embrace

©joylenton2017

I am so thankful God gives us opportunity to experience new life, and renewed hope, any time we choose to turn to Him. He knows the dark shadows we live under and makes provision for our every need, both here and in eternity.

“We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our… mortal flesh” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-11 (New Jerusalem Bible)

How is life’s shadow side speaking to you?

What helps you to see and sense God’s Light shining through?

A simple mantra of “Jesus conquers…. Jesus saves” (gleaned from reading ‘God Calling – A Devotional Diary’) is currently giving me renewed courage when life’s dark shadow of discouragement hangs over my days. You might like to try it too. 🙂

worship: why silence might be one of the best ways to pray

February 21, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 20 Comments

Do words fail you sometimes? Maybe get stuck on the tongue, swallowed back like tears? We think language should be simple, just one person conversing with another, as easy as breathing, fluid as air.

But there are moments when we don’t know quite what to say to one another, never mind speak to God. Prayer can stall into silence. This may seem like we’re not praying at all, but I think silence is actually one of the deepest mediums for prayer and a great way to align ourselves with the divine.

During times when our words are stilled, we find other ways to communicate with God. Tears and inaudible, deep-seated groans of the soul still rise as incense before Him. Silence makes space for restful, worshipful contemplation.

There is no language, no tongue, no hindrance to communication with God. Our very posture speaks volumes to Him, as does our inner ache, sadness and pain.

What about worship? Doesn’t that require words? Ideally, we want to express our heartfelt feelings before our Lord in a vocal way, though worship is myriad things and more of a lifestyle decision than a song.

God sees our hearts and hears their silent cries—our intentions and desires are laid bare before Him before we breathe a word or sing a note.

If, like me, the season you are going through has made voiced prayer hard to do, words failing to form due to the lump in your throat or heaviness of heart, please know that God understands it all, sees into the depths of your soul and is busily answering before you feel able to utter a single word.

Worship

Let our language spring as sweetly

languid as summer sky, lazy on

the tongue, and soaring like sea spray

We’re wanting an upbeat life and

to swim together, like sunlight still

aches to shine with worship, whispering

music like a smooth honey symphony

©joylenton2017

You and I can rest in Love’s soft shade, rest our weary souls before God and know we are being loved, seen and heard. In the shelter of His safe, protective love we grow strong again.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him I will trust’…. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge” ~ Psalm 91: 1-2,4

Love’s soft shade

Our lonely spirits can thrive

and shine by Love’s soft shade

For every life has dark garden

vines from earth’s root fall, but

warm, gentle Eden rain cycles

like sacred river song beneath

light, wandering wind harmony

of deep fresh air we breathe

©joylenton2017

We can communicate with God through silent tears and a broken heart. Maybe, like Ann Lamott, the only prayers you feel capable of right now are of the “Help, Thanks, Wow” kind, and that’s okay. He understands. Start where you are and a flow of words will eventually come.

love as grace gift, fever, eden and wild harmony

February 14, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 14 Comments

On this Valentine’s Day it seems apt to consider how love is a many splendid thing, lifting us to dizzy heights and dropping us down again. It’s full of feeling, driven by emotion, laced with passion, fuelled by lust and desire, sought after and highly prized. Though it is far more than hearts and flowers, lyrics and poetry, chocolates and cards, nice as they are.

Human love is often fickle, variable, blowing hot and cold, prone to alteration and change, seared with sadness and pain. But divine Love is something else entirely—always glorious, unconditional, freeing, totally giving, honouring the other, everlasting, eternal.

In my first magnetic poetry offering today I examine a relationship which isn’t all it could be. I’ve imagined a scenario between two lovers where things once burnt firework-bright then fizzled into little sparks.

Broken fever

This hard-voiced growl from his cool

lips comes out of a broken fever

But she needs more morning peace, and

lingering longer over picturing poetry

like porcelain and remembering when joy

brilliant as fire dazzled like desire;

and warm breath-throb words could melt

her sad, icy heart with a ferocious

laugh—and a ‘let’s celebrate’ kisses embrace

©joylenton2017

Then I imagined a time when love was new, Eden-fresh, bright and brilliant. A morning of mists and mellow mood. A season where the sun shone softly and hearts were united as one. A time of perfect union and wild harmony.

Wild harmony

Above dawn-moist world, behold

beautiful birdsong sanctuary

of soft spring blossom colours

blooming full, warm as Eden

Here we would have strolled,

always following a quiet lake

moss-dark lichen path, as rain

breathes wild harmony like

nature’s deep, watery shade

©joylenton2017

God’s kind of love—pure, unselfish love—is what we are to aim for in our dealings with one another. Yet we fail spectacularly, fall flat on our faces—unless we let God live in us by His Spirit and love others in and through us. Then we have access to God’s rich, full, unlimited ability assisting our weak, limited ability to love as well as we can. And on our best, dependently-leaning-on-God-completely days, love can begin to flourish and look something like this…

“Love never gives up. Love cares for others more than self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first”, doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end” ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 ‘The Message’

The lovely bible verse heart image above comes courtesy of little birdie blessings, which you can find here.

safe: learning to trust when life feels unsafe

February 12, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 28 Comments

My childhood didn’t fully prepare me to trust or feel safe and secure in the ways I might have hoped it would. But it did lead me to seek for ways to lighten the darkness in my child-heart by enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like blowing bubbles or chasing butterflies.

Not all of the methods I chose were actually safe or helpful, until God shone the light of His presence into my life and I was undone in the best possible way. Because up to then, love had been far from easy, unconditional, lavish or free.

Life can feel less than safe in this dark world, as I still wrestle with demons from my past and deal with myriad challenges in the present. Yet my hope and faith are safe, secure, resting on God’s redemption, goodness and grace, His wild, wild Love and forgiveness that covers all my sin, and His broken heart for a suffering world.

In thinking about the word ‘safe’ for this week’s five-minute-friday prompt, several things suggested themselves. There was even a first attempt poem that didn’t quite feel right, though it may well get shared another day.

I am so grateful God is a God of second chances—as well as second thoughts—and how He has provided this alternative poetic offering unexpectedly today, albeit a bit later than planned.

Safe

The watery womb was my home

I nestled close, listening to thrum

of human heartbeat, soothed again

by its sweet refrain rhythm

And as I stretched my limbs

I sensed the confines of this space

gradually closing in

It was time—time to be born

before my time to die—time

to breathe, live outside this home

I sensed movement, tightening

and squeezing. It didn’t seem safe

but I trusted to my fate

Then a soft night light shone warmly

on my screwed up face. My eyes had grown

unaccustomed to the Light

Hands groped for my body, held me

tight, as lovingly as can be, cradled

me safe, welcomed me to life

And I knew, instinctively, despite

how different this would be, how hard

my Father was still holding me

©joylenton2017

Please click here to join us for the #FMF link up. You’ll be blessed by the beautiful writing and warm, supportive community there. 🙂

how love and light are just within our reach

February 9, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 18 Comments

Does this world’s darkness make you want to weep? Do you feel overwhelmed at times by the brokenness and pain in your life? Me too. But we don’t have to despair, my friend.

Because light and love are all around, seeping into our consciousness. And they are most apparent for those with eyes to see them. If we get locked into cynicism, grief and despair we may fail to see just how much God permeates this world with His light and love.

Our vision can get warped and skewed by circumstances and situations not of our choosing. But if we look with eyes of faith, then we begin to see that life is more than 50 shades of grey, far more than 100 ways of being beige. There is light and life and love and colour just waiting to be discovered by hungry hearts.

Because, filtering softly from dawn to dusk is an invitation to look beyond the immediate, to grasp hold of the eternal right here, right now, in our midst—an invitation to taste holy Mystery.

And even when the darkness descends in such a way that it seems to temporarily blot out the sun, even then the Son of Righteousness Himself will rise in our minds and hearts when we turn in faith to Him.

This is our plea and prayer…

Darkness chokes

This world’s darkness chokes

life and strangles hope. Oh Lord

let your Love-Light shine

And God helps us to view things from His perspective…

Only in the light

Only in the light

of God’s love do we begin

to see our true worth

Then He reminds us how all heaviness of heart is able to be lifted from us as we surrender our burdens to Him and rest in His loving provision for us…

My burden is light

My burden is light

My heart is heavy, full,

holding love for you

Hold on through the dark seasons. Keep the faith when you are faltering and struggling to believe. Because whether you can sense it or not, God is holding on to you and He won’t ever let you go. His greatest joy is to bring His love and light into your life, to turn mourning into joy, heal your brokenness and give you beauty for the ashes of your life.

These words and haiku poems have been inspired by Poet Master Ronovan’s latest weekly haiku challenge of Love&Light. Just click on the link to see how it works and to read the great variety of posts being shared.

change: when life is far from the cat’s whiskers

February 7, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 21 Comments

How do you view the prospect of change? It can seem exciting for many as they look forward with eager anticipation to the next new experience and all it will bring to them. And for others? It can fill them with dismay and become something to be feared, because change has potential to be such an unwelcome intrusion into our lives.

The longer we stay in one place, maintain a fixed mindset or refuse to move with the times, the harder accepting and adapting to change can become. And it’s often those whose circumstances keep them glued to a place, stuck fast in their ways, who need (or are forced to endure) a regular routine, who can become wary and weary of doing things differently.

Though unlike cats, who are thought to be gifted with nine lives, we only have one wild and precious life, as Mary Oliver so famously said, and need wisdom in how to live it well. Being overly cautious doesn’t seem the best approach to take if it means we’re living in a limited, less than trusting way.

In my poetic responses to my inventive, creative friend, Kat Myrman’s ‘Twittering Tales’ photo prompt this week, I couldn’t help but focus on the potential challenges facing this imaginary woman with a cat on her lap. I’ve lived long enough to lose quite a few friends and family members, sat with death and disease frequently as a nurse, and come face to face with my own limitations on a daily basis.

Tired, sweetly supine in her

arms, this dear feline friend

remains more faithful than

the rest, whom time and age

gradually removed, dispersed

(140 characters)

She didn’t want to go, leave

this house and home, for who

else would know how to take

care of her darling cat or give

her such loving attention?

(140 characters)

Then I found myself going in a more playful direction here…

She stroked him under the chin

and chuckled deep within, for

none could know this cat now

in sweet repose was none

other than a witch’s familiar

(140 characters)

I’m grateful above all things in this fast paced, ever-changing world for the fact that God changes not. He remains reliably faithful, trustworthy, unchangeable, loving, kind and gracious toward us. We may not always be able to see the way ahead but we can always trust the One who is holding us.

searching: looking for truth, spirit harmony and soul peace

February 6, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 18 Comments

We search through dark, inky nights and bright shimmering days. Yet what we long for so often seems to slip away in the haze. Our searching for meaning and significance are inextricably linked to our humanity.

It’s what we were created for: to know that there is so much more than eyes can see, to long for someone who can truly see everything, teach us who we really are and what our purpose might be. We need soul harmony, a spirit aligned with the divine rather than fighting against itself.

Some look to the stars, the moon and all created things, because they whisper secrets of God’s essence. He shines in shades of glory human eyes can contemplate, marvelling as they do at liquid beauty light and hints of magnificence in creation’s outpouring.

What window do we choose from which to view life’s deep secrets? Many are opaque, effectively concealing more than revealing. But the mirror of God’s Word is crystal clear, translucent and transparent, though seemingly hidden at first glance.

In searching the Scriptures we develop a growing awareness of the answers to life’s thorny questions. We gradually discover just who we are, what we need to do and why we are here for such a time as this. Our true identity becomes revealed.

Though there are other ways of searching, understanding our life’s deepest meaning and purpose is best discovered if we ask the Creator and Author Himself to reveal them to us, and come to His Word with a reverent, receptive mind and heart.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” ~ Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

When we look out this window

May a sad fool-heart always

remember vast night stars sailing

like brilliant ice through the sky

And how dark, delicious morning

coffee melted as liquid smile, with

kisses of our velvet poetry—for

only secret desires lie prisoner

when we look out this window

Spirit harmony

Come follow pure, fresh, fertile grass;

behold quiet rustle of peace bloom

bright like Eden’s sacred song,

cycling thick as summer sun

Wander long, wild and deep,

and soft, murmuring breeze will

be a world’s spirit harmony

My way of searching for meaning and significance in my youth led me down some dark and dismal corridors before I found what I was looking for. Thankfully, when I was 17, God opened my eyes to His presence and shone the brilliant beam of His love-light into my heart.

It had been there from the very beginning, of course, but I didn’t know it, because God doesn’t force entry into our lives. Instead, He waits patiently, gently opens windows of opportunity and invites us to enter in.

How have you discovered meaning and significance in your life?

Can you relate to times when God has revealed Himself to you more powerfully?

breathe: when it’s time to breathe freely again

February 3, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 21 Comments

Is it just me, or do you also find that the more outwardly busy you become, the more your thoughts tend to spiral out of control? It’s as if we try to get a handle on our lives by mentally processing and digesting stuff, so that we can sort and sift what to retain or ditch.

And in doing this we also hope to wrestle with our worries, and maybe even banish them, forgetting how giving our concerns a lot of head space usually achieves the opposite effect, making them multiply instead.

Finding (and maintaining) a calm core to our days in the midst of life’s busyness, storms and demands, calls for awareness, deliberation and decisiveness. It requires us to still ourselves body and soul and to pause long enough to listen to what our life, and God, is saying to us.

I find that prayer, especially of the centering kind, is a marvellous and needful pause during life’s busyness. It helps me to remember to breathe… and yield my cares to God, leading to a deeper soul peace. Though it can often get sidelined when I’m feeling overwhelmed by extra demands being made of me, as the five-minute-friday poem below suggests.

Time to breathe

I wonder, is there time to breathe?

Yes says the flourishing flower stretching

her growing beauty out of tiny seed

The race is not to the swift, nor

battle to the strong, but to those who

learn to wait patiently—enduring long

Yet I take such small, sharp, shallow breaths

and I sense a tight constriction

within my chest. For it seems that I

have somehow forgotten how to breathe

in synchrony with life’s rhythms

or go gently into each season

Instead, I mentally rush headlong

into each day, barely pausing to breathe

or pray, pushing a body so fatigued

and sore to do Just One Thing More

And it’s no wonder I feel all out of

sorts, stressed and harassed, of course

Because I’ve forgotten to stop and sit

with stillness, or simply stay in tune

with Holy Spirit—and calmly rest myself

in Him, rather than in my easily

exhaustible, all too human limits

I think I should have heeded the words I wrote here last week about feeling out of control and needing to breathe!

But I’m glad I listened to inspiration coming, so I could share my thoughts with the fabulous #FMF writing crew gathering over at Kate Motaung’s site to write about this week’s prompt of ‘breathe’. Come join us?

home: our universal ache and longing to belong

February 1, 2017 / Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

Home is where the heart is, our place of safety, solace and security—or at least it could and should be. Though for many, home is far from a haven. It can often be the very place they long to escape from.

Right from our earliest memories, home remains a place we are either joined together by strong ties of deep love and affection, or feel a sense of disconnection to. Because not all of us are loved well or treated right in our formative years. Not all of us desire to stay or return to where we began our days.

It is natural to develop independence and want to spread our wings when we get to a certain age, but some of us have an inner longing to flee a place where we don’t feel cherished, a home where we don’t seem to fit in or truly belong, a need for a different shelter of sorts.

That’s why God offers us all an eternal Home, a place of grace and loving kindness, a haven of perfect love and peace, an abiding sense of safety and stability and an anchor for the soul of true acceptance and rest. We have a taste of its beauty in this world and glimpses of its magnificence to come.

Meanwhile, His arms are all the safe place and shelter we seek. His love is unconditional, overwhelming and free. His mercy and grace help us to make changes in how we perceive our lives and His healing touch helps us to forgive and move forward again.

Here are 3 aspects of home in 140 characters or less….

He feels a tug to look back

calling him homeward

His eyes realise how vast

the universe can be

He aches to stay as he

breaks the cord to leave

(139 characters)

A window seat is a way

to see more clearly, get

a fresh perspective, because

home is anywhere at all

No more or less than

a place to lay his head

(140 characters)

“Are you ready for this?

He nods, gulps back tears, turns to take another look outside, where home shrinks small while he faces new horizons. (140 characters)

The thoughts, poems and prose above, were inspired by my creative friend, Kat Myrman, and this week’s ‘Twittering Tales’ photo prompt she has provided. Just click on the link to read more. You’re warmly welcome to join in if you’d like to.

What does the word ‘home’ conjure up for you?

Do you feel ready to take a step of faith toward the next thing God has planned for you?

	Joy Lenton on glimpse: hope rises when light…
	Joy Lenton on seeing: viewing nature soothes…
	Mindful Mystic (MM) on glimpse: hope rises when light…
	Mindful Mystic (MM) on seeing: viewing nature soothes…
	adaughtersgiftoflove on seeing: viewing nature soothes…

Poetry Joy

sensing the sacred in the everyday

Month: February 2017

shadow: caught in the shadow between life and death

worship: why silence might be one of the best ways to pray

love as grace gift, fever, eden and wild harmony

safe: learning to trust when life feels unsafe

how love and light are just within our reach

change: when life is far from the cat’s whiskers

searching: looking for truth, spirit harmony and soul peace

breathe: when it’s time to breathe freely again

home: our universal ache and longing to belong

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