As I reach the tail end of this October writing marathon, I must confess that my reserves are very depleted. No surprises there. 😏 But I don’t want to allow discouragement in or let myself become derailed by fatigue. Those things can so easily define my days.
Here’s the thing. I want to go out on a cloud of grace. Same way as I came in, in fact. God carries me each day, holds me close to His chest and whispers words of reassurance whenever I feel defeated by life.
If I am wanting to let anything affect me during these oh so weary days, then let it be joy. Let it be love. Let it be peace. Because I’m done with yielding to my SAD feelings and allowing my body’s state to dictate how my days are shaped. I want to surrender to God most of all, hard as it can be sometimes.
Will you join me? if your health or life is less than tickety-boo, then give it over to God instead of giving yourself a hard time, or wallowing in hurts and slights. Yes, they are a pain, quite literally. Yet what God is willing to give to His children far exceeds those things.
Whatever is troubling your soul, let it be, my friend, and let God be who He wants to be in your life: a rock-steady Hope, a force for Good, an Anchor to hold you firm, a sea of Grace, a river of Peace, a Saviour and your closest Friend, and so much more than we can ever imagine.
let it be
let joy permeate
let love be my calling card
peace be my heart’s state
©joylenton
If my words are insufficient, then why not let the Beatles song above persuade you to let go of your cares? PS: John Lennon was my favourite! 🙂
Poetry Joy 
I admire anyone who can commit to writing these 31 days, Joy. Please do take care of yourself though, ok? I know how easily your body wears out, so please don’t ignore the signs either. Rest when you need to. You will still be carried on the cloud of grace. 🙂 I have learned that when I don’t get enough physical rest, I can get discouraged more easily. I especially love this – “Whatever is troubling your soul, let it be, my friend, and let God be who He wants to be in your life: a rock-steady Hope, a force for Good, an Anchor to hold you firm, a sea of Grace, a river of Peace, a Saviour and your closest Friend, and so much more than we can ever imagine.” Thank you for this hope-filled encouragement! I remember hearing that Beatles song as a child. We didn’t have a TV, but we did have a record player. 🙂 Love and hugs to you!
Trudy, it is a huge commitment and an act of faith to complete this series, especially when we have a start point of weakness and fatigue. I definitely couldn’t even contemplate this challenge if I didn’t believe that God had called me to do it and would inspire, energise, strengthen and sustain me through it.
But you’re quite right. Taking care of myself is a high priority. That’s why I am quiet elsewhere and cannot always manage visiting other blogs. I am resting as much as possible, carried on that cloud of grace, grateful for the opportunity to write each day, and hopefully bless others along the way!
Thank you so much for your gentle reminder and tender, understanding heart. Your kindness and caring compassion toward others is a lovely gift of grace and something I greatly appreciate. I am happy to have been able to share something that spoke to and encouraged you, dear friend. Love and hugs to you too! xo 😊💜
Dear Joy,
Oh, this sentence touches my heart so much: “Here’s the thing. I want to go out on a cloud of grace. Same way as I came in, in fact.” This reminded me of Job’s utterance: “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return.” And of course, we feel the negative hurt of that. But what if that way of seeing is a freeing Grace? Letting all go to the Lord, and then embracing HIS GRACE as the true sustaining Love under everything? What a beautiful way of living that I want to walk in as well, my friend. Thank you for sharing these encouraging words, even as you are so weary yourself. May the Lord grant you the full strength you need for these days. Much Love and Hugs!
Dear Bettie, once again you have awed and amazed me by the way you are able to select a sentence that speaks to you and elaborate on its meaning with wisdom, curiosity and insight. Your “what if” has generated some beautiful thoughts! God really is “the true sustaining Love under everything” and His Grace underpins our whole lives and faith. Thank YOU for all the valuable thoughts you bring to the community here. We are all the richer for you digging deeper. And I also appreciate your kind concern about my health. Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear friend! xo 😊💗
“I want to surrender to God most of all, hard as it can be sometimes.” The crux of it all. Thank you for the past 24 entries, freely offered from a 24 carat gold heart.
I liked Paul best. 🙂
Laurie, how lovely to see you here! You have a way of gently lighting up this space whenever you stop by. Yes, surrender is “the crux of it all”, and it’s an ongoing lesson for me. One I wish I had grasped sooner on my walk of life and faith. I think my heart is too deeply flawed to be compared with solid gold, but I thank you for recognising how God will bring forth shining gold (or a polished diamond?) as He refines away the dross. My sister was a Paul McCartney fan too, so you’re in good company. I liked him as well, though not as much as the enigmatic, poetic John Lennon! Those were the days, my friend… to quote a Mary Hopkin song. Bless you for being here and cheering me on from the sidelines. Your support means a lot to me. xo 😊💜
Oh, Joy, I want to do that, too. I want to not wallow in sadness or pain, but trust in God and let Him hold me. And your haiku says it all – joy, love and peace. And I love the Beatles song! Thanks for sharing.
Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear Joy! xoxo
It’s a daily challenge to deliberately let love, joy and peace define our attitude, rather than giving in to dismay and discouragement. Thankfully, God finds a way of helping us to meet our Holy Spirit inspired desires. So blessed to have you share these heart hopes too, Gayl! Letting God hold us, as we trust the changing process to Him, is key to seeing it come to pass in our minds and hearts.
Glad you liked the Beatles song! Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear sister/poet/friend. xoxo
Surrendering can be oh so hard. But is so worth it!
Absolutely, Tara! Though we actually grow during the struggle to surrender, and it does become a little less painful over time. Bless you, sweet friend! xo 💜
Reblogged this on Pastor Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
Indeed, Joy ❤️❤️ Very timely for this Padre in need of a retreat that is coming next week!
You have a retreat coming up? Oh that’s marvellous news, Michael! How lovely that God has provided a pocket of needful soul care time for you and Denise. I hope and pray it will refresh and restore you in every way. Blessings of rest, love, joy and peace to you both. 😊💜
Thank you for these encouraging words, friend. The fatigue is still such a new burden for me that it often discourages. Your words help. Thank you. Praying for you to finish strong, dear one.
June, I think fatigue always discourages, whether it is new for us or not. Nothing else quite reminds us of our fallen humanity weakened state like losing energy and strength. And when it stays for months and years and becomes a permanent part of our lives, we still tend to want to run with whatever little boost we get! Please don’t be hard on yourself for feeling like this. God understands our frustrations and thwarted goals, and He gently calls us to come and rest in Him. May you also “finish strong”, dear friend, while we give ourselves grace and time to rest. Sending gentle hugs, love and prayers. xo 💜