autumn: a child’s eye view of the season

October 1, 2020September 30, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 2 Comments

As we enter a new season, I’ve been wondering: what if we tried to see the onset of autumn through the eyes of a child? Or the beginning of any new season of life, perhaps. How might we react or sense it differently?

I’m usually inclined to look at the onset of autumn through rather wary, SAD-afflicted adult eyes, even as I try to enjoy any glints of ochre, russet, burnt umber and gold I can find. What if God intends us to go through our days with childlike trust, hope, wonder, and expectation in our hearts, no matter what our actual circumstances are?

“Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.” — Brennan Manning

To a child

Autumn may speak
of death and decay
to us, but to a child
it’s an invitation

to throw themselves down
and roll around on any
leaf-carpeted ground.

Autumn might signal
summer’s ending
but to a child it’s a time
of returning to school,

new shoes, equipment and clothes,
friendships rekindled, joyful
reunions, and fresh beginnings.

Autumn has many
moments of mists,
and moods we prefer
not to have to battle through,

but to a child
the veil becomes
a different kind of curtain,
mysterious, uncertain.

Autumn might suggest
a season of falls,
of decline and loss
of capacity, but to a child

it speaks of tumbling
deliberately onto chilly grass
and crunchy leaves.

Autumn hints at mellow
fruitfulness now being passed
its best, as darkness
increases and living things

are dying, but to a child
it’s just another day closer
to anticipated Christmas bliss.

Autumn brings increasing
cold, wind and sleety rain,
as trees become denuded

and winter creeps in,
but to a child each change
in the weather is just

another new way
of experiencing, touching,
tasting, seeing, and doing.
© joylenton

“I think that’s the true litmus test for someone who has become closer to Jesus: their heart is more loving, accepting, childlike, less believing that they have all the answers and more believing in Him.” — Donald Miller

It can be a hard calling and a tough surrender to trust God for better or be able to sense beauty and joy more than we sense the darkness, hardship and pain. It can be difficult to pay more attention to the good, can’t it? Especially when pain shouts so loud it seems to drown out all else.

But joy still exists in every dark moment we go through, and it’s so worthwhile to try to be more childlike by awakening to the joy hidden in plain sight. I’m inspired by my grandson’s attitude and I’m willing to try. How about you, my friend?

PS: You might be interested in: 50 Autumn activities for parents and kids, plus an inspiring creative guide to surviving the winter months by Emma Mitchell or her nature remedy book to help with SAD symptoms. 🙂 ❤

darkness: how it reminds us to seek out the light

September 24, 2020September 23, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

Autumn has just arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and I’m already getting twitchy about the imminent lack of light. Those of us who struggle with SAD symptoms can find ourselves at summer’s end mourning the diminishing daylight, while hating the longer, darker evenings and the realisation that clocks will soon go back an hour. But there is hope.

Because each season has its own beauty, its own story to tell, its own wondrous way of speaking to our souls. While we might deplore the lack of daylight hours autumn and winter present to us, we can try to deliberately aim to look for the positive in them as well. Every drop of encouragement we can find will help nurture our souls.

We could note the beautiful golden hues and observe the altering landscape with eyes of intrigue and awe, rather than anxiety and fear. We could remind ourselves that hope, joy, and light can be found if we expectantly search them out and ask for God’s help. Because the dawn will rise faithfully, as always, even if we prefer to hunker down and hide under the duvet… 🙂

“Not knowing when the dawn will come,
I open every door” — Emily Dickinson

Darkness and Dawn

Darkness scares me,
seeping into my bones,
these walls, this soul,
the landscape, this home.

Autumn arrives
like a swiftly fallen curtain
extinguishing the light,
making things uncertain.

What if I could
see beyond the black,
penetrate the dark,
seek to hold it back?

Is it futile
to want the light
to linger here, where my
soul is edged in despair?

Perhaps I should
remind myself to pause,
open up the doors, each
room of house and heart.

If we allow
our spiritual sight
to see beyond it all,
this gaping void,

perhaps we would
find a place of hope,
of renewed joy,
saturated with light.

Because the dawn
must be breaking
somewhere now across
the sleepy globe,

spreading its rays
of hope, its flash of fire
into our anxious hearts,
our sad and fearful souls,

where it warms us
up, cheers our thoughts,
as it reorients them
back to life—back to God.

And so I bask
in this golden glow of grace,
rising faithfully
day after day.

It will not pause
because light and dark
exist to make us seek
and live lives of fearless faith.
© joylenton

“Things grow in the darkness: seeds, bulbs, dreams, babies. Can we trust that if we dare to probe the darkness we may discover things about ourselves that we might prefer not to know, but need to learn?” — Margaret Silf, Compass Points: Meeting God at Every Turn

Some useful resources you can access to help alleviate the darkness:

Inspiring bible verses about light and darkness from OpenBible.Info
7 Little Shelters In The Storm Mood Boosters from Courtney Carver
Embracing Hope: Soul Food to Help Chase Away the Blues from yours truly
Self-Help Strategies for SAD from Psych Central
Soul Shots: 31 Days of Pocket Wisdom for Your Hurting Heart my latest (free!!) pdf ebook to download ❤

prayer: it makes a greater difference than we know

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

So often we think of prayer like sending flimsy paper aeroplanes into the ether, where they act like drifting darts that fail to hit their intended target. But what if we saw each prayer more as an arrow that reaches straight to the heart of God?

Might that make a difference in our willingness to pray, and encourage our hope that all prayer is heard and answered in some way? I think so. Because the bible urges us to pray at all times and in all seasons, while it declares how our prayers can rise as fragrant incense to God’s throne above.

”Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” — Max Lucado

Prayer isn’t something to be feared because of our perceived failure at it. Rather, prayer is to be welcomed as a wonderful, privileged part of our relationship with God, as we maintain an open dialogue with Him. And when we take all our worries and concerns to God, we get to experience His rest and peace.

The poem below describes the frustration we might experience when we seemingly get no answers to prayer. It also points to the biblical hope and promise we have of our prayers actually landing up where they should—straight to the loving heart of our Father God.

Paper aeroplanes

I try to shoot
paper aeroplanes
into the ether

but they fall,
floating aimlessly,
landing languidly
at my feet,

while others curve,
slither and slide
across the ceiling,

darting like flies,
getting nowhere
it seems.

I cannot see
why they don’t hit
their intended target,

pierce through layers
of fluffy cloud,
this veiled curtain

of azure blue shroud
where hope enough
exists to send them off.

I can only assume,
more and more
as time passes,

that they are too small,
deemed unworthy planes,
perhaps, tipped off

balance, somehow,
sent careening
sideways, adrift,

instead of being
faithfully received.
Yet the eyes of faith

suggest I look further,
try to see beyond
and believe

there is a place
where clouds will part,
open up for this

faithfully sent
aerial fleet,
these fragile, tentative

aeroplanes of prayer
to actually penetrate
the air, the heavens,
where they are

joyfully received above,
carefully curated,
acted upon with love.
© joylenton

“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer.” — Elisabeth Elliot

Where has prayer made a difference in your life or the lives of those you’ve prayed for? Let’s rejoice in it together… 🙂 ❤

courage: rising up to face life’s challenges

September 10, 2020September 10, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 5 Comments

We might think that being courageous is strictly for heroes and heroines. But we’d be wrong. Because all of us will face difficulties and challenges, need to access courage, develop resilience, and discover our inner brave as we take each small step of faith.

With God’s help, we can scale the mountains before us or find a way to go around them. Although the path might be thorny and hard, God will infuse strength and courage into our hearts. All we need do is ask.

“Nothing but encouragement can come to us as we dwell upon the faithful dealing of our Heavenly Father in centuries gone by. Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously.” — Lee Roberson

Courage

tugging at weeds
I disturb a sleepy beetle
he staggers out blind
moves drunkenly across grass
losing his way on hot tiles

I watch him
skittering unsteadily
like a skater
wobbling on the ice
thrown off their stride

before long
he seeks refuge again
a dark recess
lush, fresh greenery
a new, safe habitat

it doesn’t take much
a gentle tug alone
stirs us to move
out of our comfort zone
where courage awaits us

we might blink
unaccustomed
like moles in the light
having to leave behind
our familiar places

we recoil
grip tight on the usual
before reaching out
to touch the new and the next
we’re being called to embrace

eventually
however weak-kneed we feel
our fingers test walls
we probe possibilities
and find our way home
© joylenton

“Down through the centuries in times of trouble and trial God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him. The Bible is filled with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. You can look ahead with promise, hope, and joy.” — Billy Graham

Where are you needing courage today, my friend? Turn to God and seek His help. God will always rise to give us strength and help us face whatever is making us afraid. Hold onto God’s promises, and wait for Him to act on your behalf as you take the first tentative steps forward. Though your heart might quake and quail, remember that His courage never fails.

PS: I have a free pdf soul care gift for you today!

< – – Just click on the image here to download it.

It’s called Soul Shots: 31 Days of Pocket Wisdom for Your Hurting Heart, and is an eclectic mix of reflections and poetry.

May it bless and encourage your heart and bring back hope when life gets hard and dark. 🙂 ❤

light: how holy light lifts, heals and strengthens us

September 3, 2020September 1, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 7 Comments

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” — St Francis of Assisi

Light is here

One incandescent, invisible light
threads through our days like silver,
like a mercurial, rolling ribbon of life;

though matted by drifting cloud,
it has frequent glints of gold,
russet, rose, tangerine and indigo.

If you look up
you might find glimpses
of heaven itself, a pure light

altering with the hours
but never faltering
to shine on us.

When we experience the greyness
of mist and fog enveloping us
like a shroud, we can stay hopeful

that the sun still sits behind it all,
and will be revealed in glory again
when the mists have cleared.

And as you examine your days
you will be able to trace
the way light has arrived

in your life, in small slivers,
perhaps, in tiny amounts
but at just the right time.

Your darkness and weakness
can lift if you direct
your gaze toward the light

that surrounds you inside
and out with whispers
of holy grace and love.

Because our joy
doesn’t depend on things
or on our circumstances

but on knowing deep within
that we are seen, we are loved,
we matter to someone else.
© joylenton

“Grace comes into the soul, as the morning sun into the world; first a dawning; then a light; and at last the sun in his full and excellent brightness.” —Thomas Adams

summer: the scent of it lives on in our memories

August 27, 2020August 25, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 14 Comments

A distinct shift. A change in the atmosphere. And grey, darkened skies linger, as rain and wind become the prominent feature of our days. This swansong of summer is predictably swimming in water because the UK tends to get a final flare of heat, followed by thunderstorms and a deluge of rain.

But we can still remember the golden days, the evocative scents, if we try. Let us think back or dig deep into our memories. I’m relying more on those childhood ones which always seem to stand out stronger than the others. Those endless, grace-laced summer days where anything felt possible and amusing ourselves was work enough to do.

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” — Maud Hart Lovelace

Concoction

In the garden, roses swell
like tea cups without handles,
frothy flowers eagerly spilling
over themselves, with some
drooping low to the ground.

I touch the tender petals,
marvel at their fragility,
while my stubby fingers
reach to pull them off—but only
the dying, little ones, of course.

Because I know my father
keeps a careful eye on
these, his pride and joy,
but my eyes are seeing
their potential for gathering.

Packing them tight into a jam jar,
heedless of the crush and mess,
ready to escort into our
house, to add some water.

A few drops. A shake. A finger
wet with shameful evidence
of rose gathering. A nose
wrinkling to try to catch the scent.

My homemade perfume
is faintly redolent
of summer hues, of grass
and leaves, with a slight
resemblance to a muddy brew.

Content and undeterred,
I dab, sniff, save, then rinse
this rose concoction once
again, and libate the waiting
ground with sudden rain.
© joylenton

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” — Henry James

I hope you have enjoyed my memoir poetry. What is the tail end of summer looking like for you? What special memories help to keep the scent, the lightness of it alive? I’d love you to share below. 🙂 ❤

belong: discovering our heart’s true home

August 20, 2020August 19, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

I remember the agony of being on the hockey pitch, my lips turning bluer by the minute, shivering with cold, hoping to be picked. A blustery wind tore at my green pleated skirt, made my hair fly all over my face, and left me breathless as I tried out for a place in the team.

There have been several situations in my life where I desperately wanted to fit in or properly belong somewhere. Yet there were many closed doors, and they made me feel so inadequate. Maybe you can relate? It’s painful to be shut out, isn’t it?

My sense of not belonging began with my family of origin, where I longed to be accepted and loved for who I really was, quirks and all, but it didn’t happen. It’s a lingering pain which still hurts, but has been assuaged somewhat since Jesus came into my life and made me God’s adopted child by faith in Him.

“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” — Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

Where you belong

You are seeking
a place in this world
which will greet you kindly,

a place where you belong,
accepted just as you are,
greeted with open arms unfurled.

But your searching
does not assuage the ache
you often feel within,

when rejection or disinterest
serve to make your soul
sink, your eyes well up,

your heart quake, and your faith
seem as insubstantial
as the very air you breathe.

What you cannot see
is the way it holds
you firmly, holds you fast,

like a solid soul support,
like the rock it is,
like an invisible thread.

Because it’s about more
than your faltering
self-belief, your uncertainty

over this and that,
for God himself
is the warp and weft of all

your days, and the one who
holds you up when you fall
or feel afraid. All you need do

is lean harder on him
and relax into your true,
God-given identity.

This world will try to steal
your peace, but you can
keep your head lifted high

because you are God’s child,
adopted by faith in Christ
set free to live a fuller life,

as you trust him to be strong
where you are weak,
because with him you belong.
(C) joylenton

Belonging is such a vital part of being human because we’re made for relationship and connection, for loving and being loved. And when those things are hard for us in one way or another? Why then we falter, feel like a failure, as if we don’t really belong anywhere. But the truth (and Good News) is we do, and always have, belonged in the Father’s heart of love for us. 🙂 ❤

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.” — C.S Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle

waiting: when desire gives way to deeper surrender

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 4 Comments

I’m feeling fried and frazzled in a scorching August heatwave. As I’m waiting to cool down, I’m reminded that the earth itself is incrementally heating up. We sense the stirrings of earth’s birth pangs, the longing it has for deliverance, and considered attention from its custodians.

Our own hearts (never mind our bothered bodies) can feel unsettled by a yearning for change. Because waiting is hard, isn’t it? Our society and world at large are like life on speed, with a drivenness that doesn’t sit easily with being rested, calm and at peace.

We all sit with unfulfilled desires. One of mine is to write more books before I get too ill, too old or lose my poetic touch. I long to unleash all the creativity that lies within me, rather than sitting on dusty files which remind me that those books are not going to write themselves… get a move on, girl! Only impatience isn’t conducive to getting a good result. 😉

“In the drivenness of our society, it’s hard to make time to relax our efforts and find transforming energy. That’s why we need this particular posture of waiting so much. When we sit in this way we’re relaxing the bow; we’re coming to rest in a very deep way in God, allowing ourselves to be cradled in the sighing mystery of Christ’s prayer.”— When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd

Desire

desire at rest
cultivated by God’s grace
in the waiting room
where we learn to still our hearts
quiet the rush, quell our thoughts

the divine promise
gets birthed and earthed in us
in God’s timing
we will finally receive
an abundance of good things

in this posture
where submissiveness counts
where trust is formed
here we mature, learn and grow
develop patience in our souls

soul detachment
enables us to let go
of our wanting
and expectancy follows
when we embrace faith and hope

freedom of desire
might feel alien to us
it’s a holy thing
where our desires and will line up
with what the Father wants for us
© joylenton

“That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy” — Romans 8:24–25 The Message

May I pray for you, my friend?

Dear Father God,

Thank you for your loving and protective care of us. Our days are an open book to you because you hold past, present and future in your hands. Help us to wait with patient expectation and confident trust when we desire to forge ahead with this project or that. If we’re in a season of being slowed, grant us the ability to stay encouraged and calm, and believe for better days to come. May we learn to go with the natural rhythm and flow of our days and remain sensitive to Holy Spirit’s gentle leading and guiding.

Amen

May we remember that however far we might stray, get impatient or fail to sense His presence, God is always eagerly waiting for us to turn to Him. 😊❤️

stilling: learning to love your ordinary life

August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” — Maya Angelou

So often fear of change nibbles at our souls like a restless rat. It makes us fail to appreciate what we already have before us, right here, right now. I find myself falling into a dissatisfaction trap whenever I forget to live with mindful awareness and a joyful and grateful heart.

We can get so caught up in the challenges, fears and frustrating minutiae of life that we neglect to lift up our heads and appreciate where and how we are really situated. God is the giver of all good gifts, and He strews gifts of grace along each person’s daily pathway—but we need receptive eyes, stilled minds, and open hearts to see, sense and be thankful for them.

Because each day presents us with an opportunity to taste joy, sense the marvellous in the mundane, express our gratitude, and give God praise for who He is and how He takes such great care of us.

“So much has been given to me; I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied.” — Helen Keller

Stilling

I hold my breath—as if I could
still the clock, hold back
the swinging seasons, perhaps,

call time on winter’s
cold, dark, muffled cloak,
the icy grip of SAD that sends
me to my inner knees.

Can I not simply
still time on this moment’s
pendulum, which I prefer

to those that have gone
before? Those lockdown
days, weeks and months
of great adaptation and change.

My mind (helpfully) reminds
me that nothing stays
the same. Each dull routine

still has to yield
to the unexpected,
the suddenness of the new
or the long neglected.

Yet something in me
feels as if I want
to remain rooted in Now,

to savour summer
before it segues into autumn,
get my fill of light, of warmth,
of hope, and snatches of joy.

Then another thing
comes to my remembrance,
and I muse on the way

each day has opportunity
to receive such gifts
if I remain receptive enough

“As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?” — Anne Frank

Although I frequently want to press pause on the moments I enjoy because they seem so fleeting, it isn’t a life of busy eventfulness I crave but a stilled, peaceful soul saturated in holy satisfaction, love and grace. Keeping a daily gratitude journal helps us stay calm and content. Here are 3 things I’m grateful for:

having energy and focus enough to write this post
our tomatoes are greening at last, if not reddening yet
I prepared this before a scorching heatwave hit to fog my thoughts

What are you thankful for today, my friend? 🙂 ❤

wave: seeking to stay buoyant in life’s choppy waters

July 30, 2020July 29, 2020 / Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.” — Psalm 89:8-9 NIV

Each summer I yearn to go to the coast, inhale the ozone and watch waves rise, foam and fall. It would be such a soothing sight, calming and restorative to my soul. Who wouldn’t want to sit, observe (people-watch) and breathe in the view or swim and be cradled by lapping water and get wet through? Even a virtual non-swimmer like me relishes such thoughts.

Sadly, the limitations of having M.E and chronic illness, including impaired mobility, hypersensitivity to light, a pain-filled, uncooperative body that doesn’t cope well with exertion, humidity or heat, coupled with travel-induced fatigue, and Raynaud’s Syndrome causing shivers and blanching at the slightest sea breeze, make it rather problematical for me now.

Instead, I remember times past, decades ago, when I was able to enjoy watching waves without those restrictions. We spent several hot summer days on the local beaches, getting sand in our sandwiches, paddling or swimming in the sea, playing games with the children, and marvelling at our suntanned faces and limbs. Now I muse on waves as a poet might do because they have such great symbolism too.

The wave we need

We are paddling furiously
as if it all depends on us,
not on the tide or the rhythm

of the sea. Fearing falling,
we forget to lean
into the waves, forget

to check our position
and what we might have
to depend on. Forget, too,

to relax our bodies
into suppleness,
cut ourselves some slack.

Instead, we waver,
like uncertain skittles,
wobble around,

choke, sink close
to drowning. Until we hear
a calming voice calling,

speaking softly
to our souls, then more
urgently than before. His voice

rises clearly above and cuts
across the choppy waters,
urging us to let him be

If you, like me, would appreciate a reminder of hearing waves breaking on the seashore, maybe this short sea breathing technique video from former M.E sufferer, meditation author and creative communicator Liz Babbs will help, and relax your soul. 🙂 ❤

Poetry Joy

sensing the sacred in the everyday

Poetry

autumn: a child’s eye view of the season

To a child

darkness: how it reminds us to seek out the light

Some useful resources you can access to help alleviate the darkness:

prayer: it makes a greater difference than we know

Paper aeroplanes

courage: rising up to face life’s challenges

Courage

light: how holy light lifts, heals and strengthens us

Light is here

summer: the scent of it lives on in our memories

Concoction

belong: discovering our heart’s true home

Where you belong

waiting: when desire gives way to deeper surrender

Desire

stilling: learning to love your ordinary life

Stilling

wave: seeking to stay buoyant in life’s choppy waters

The wave we need

To a child

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Some useful resources you can access to help alleviate the darkness:

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Paper aeroplanes

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Courage

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Light is here

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Concoction

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Where you belong

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Desire

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Stilling

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The wave we need

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