Poetry

Little things count

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

It’s so often the little things that count the most.

A smile at just the right time.

A squeeze of the hand.

A word in due season.

The look in a loved one’s eyes.

A surprise visit or gift.

We value what brings unexpected, unanticipated pleasure, joy and delight.

It’s all the more special for being a surprise.

Or even an everyday occurrence coming into sharper focus for us as we view it anew.

Yet we so often go through our days unheeding the tiny glimmers of grace which God has strewn along our way.

When our eyes are open to the world around us, we can live with a deeper sense of gratitude and praise for all that our Creator God has lovingly fashioned and made.

‘Little things’

Despise not the little things

dew-dappled leaves, hen’s eggs and sparrow’s wings

cumulus cloud now spread thin as entrailed cotton wisps

with no discernible hint of moisture within

Golden patch of sun, scent of rain, a new day begun

as earth shifts into motion once again

with rooster crowing bringing breakfast to mind,

for creatures of every kind clamour to be fed

and given swift their daily bread

Cooling breeze on our extremities as seasons

morph their mosaic coloured hand

upon this ever-changing land

Such things may not amount to much

in mind or eye for you and I

though God keeps careful count

And if we do take note with eyes wide open

to the daily grind we find expectation rise

and cease doing things so much by rote

as we pause afresh in wonder, marvelling

at God’s hand in all we’d cast asunder

when with averted, unconcerned gaze

going blithely dulled, ignorant and unaware

about our moments, hours and days

of all the beauty that little things can bring

to all our thoughts and ways

©JoyLenton2013

Saturday snippets

/ Joy Lenton / 11 Comments

On a Saturday we may sink grateful into slumber, savour a siesta, shop, or see a movie, seek a sport to pursue, or pass a moment or two in reflection.

It  can be a pause in pursuing and an opportunity for Simply Being, a giving over to Sabbath.

Today’s #poetryforthesoul offering is suitably small and minimal as energy is low and rest becomes essential.

Not much to tax the eyes or brain.

Nothing deep or heavy.

Haiku 

 Empty womb-coiled shell ~ a snail trail leaking afresh ~ flowing like my tears

Blustery autumn ~ wind tears at the dew-sodden ~ velvet green-laked grass

 As bulbs lie dormant ~ we sit low in dark places ~ with expectancy

‘Poetic flame’

Sorrow stirs the

sleepy embers

of poetic flame

encircling dampened

recesses of your

heart

curling with gentle

tread

upon your sighs

where deepest pain

lies

a tender fellow of

your deepest powers

your deepest love

in darkest hours

©JoyLenton2013

Getting steamed up

/ Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

When we have a time limit imposed on us it tends to concentrate the mind somewhat.

It’s part of the reason I love to participate in Five Minute Friday.

Though I had no idea what my creative mind would make of this week’s prompt:‘Laundry’

I wish I could report a glowing testimony about how God washes us clean from our sin…or something along those lines at least.

Sadly, no.

My poetic hat seemed steeped in the prosaic.

All I have to offer from my weary M.E brain is a rather ‘tongue-in-cheek’ offering on an everyday reality.

You may be able to relate.

Or at least feel smug that you are on top of your laundry pile – while mine’s big enough to jump off.

START…

‘In a lather’

In a lather

It’s the bane of my life, it is very clear to see

causing stress, strife and some degree of misery

because of  the M.E my husband lends a hand

but  operating the machine is a line in the sand

as far as he’s concerned  (and to be fair he does a lot)

 this one task he will not share at any cost

for although he will iron and carry piles everywhere

he isn’t sure how it works or what makes it disappear

so it droops disconsolately over chair and settee

waiting for activity forthcoming from me

Laundry leers accusingly from the linen basket

spilling forth breezily like coins from a casket

and though I try to do my best with the effort I exert

it still means we live in a state of red alert

where I feel I could be buried by a stinking pile of clothes

and all that would be left of me is my pointing-up toes

Yet I know how low energy stops me from getting any farther

so I’ll try not to worry much or get myself into a lather

perhaps it’s indicative of my life in general where I fail

to attend to all I should, living at the pace of a snail

preferring by far to have eyes glued to a screen as

I write a blog, compose a poem, leaving laundry to steam

©JoyLenton2013

STOP.

Linking here as usual with Lisa-Jo and all the other lovely creative souls who have a go at 5 minutes of free flowing writing on a given topic.

You are very welcome and warmly invited to join in.

The gift of friendship

/ Joy Lenton / 8 Comments

It is said you can choose your friends but not your family.

We are blessed indeed if we not only like those we are related to, but are friends with them as well.

Sadly, it is not always the case.

To have a close friend and to be there for another is one of life’s greatest gifts.

Whenever we count our blessings, friends tend to be top of the list.

And if we have no or few actual close companions on our journey through life,  we can still take comfort from knowing that God is always there for us, our greatest, most reliable and constant Friend.

God is all about relationship. His heart is fine tuned to beat with love for mankind.

He longs for us to know Him intimately. To trust Him with all our concerns. To seek Him and His ways above our own.

Jesus came in order to bridge the gap between heaven and earth, to pave a way to draw us back to the Father’s heart and to become our lifelong Friend above all others.

In so doing, He also shows us the huge benefit of friendship in its manifold expressions.

Today’s #poetryforthesoul micro-poetry offering is a celebration of friendship, written with gratitude for friends old and new.

‘Friends are’

Friends are

companions on our journey

holders of hands and hearts

listeners to pain and fears

bearer’s of God’s goodness

and all His grace imparts

bringers of smiles

wipers of tears

who make life worthwhile

as embracers of all we are

and can be

containers of God’s love

a gift unto eternity

treasure from above

©JoyLenton2013

Monster bashing

/ Joy Lenton / 5 Comments

Being scared witless is a thrill-seeking activity for some.

They thrive on the excitement and huge surge of adrenaline it gives them.

Nothing satisfies like being brought to the edge and left hanging by a thread.

Horror/scary movies and roller-coaster rides are a drop in the ocean for such people.

Barely worth raising a sweat for.

I’m not one of them.

Having had much to disturb my equilibrium (and cause emotional highs I could live without) as a small child was enough for me.

It doesn’t take much to rock your world when it’s been turned upside-down by those you trusted to take care of you.

Too much real-life terror can make us crave security and stability at any price.

My peace isn’t rooted in my circumstances, but in the One who is both within and outside of them.

God is intimately involved and concerned about every aspect of our lives.

And He alone can give us all the resources we need to fully deal with the things that scare us, cause us grief and pain.

Childish imagination can run riot. We see life through the lens of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘possibles’.

As adults, we can look at life that way too – often in terms of worry and anxiety – or by asking ourselves, “What if I invited God into this situation? I wonder what would be possible then?”

Have you any ‘monsters’ looming large in your life?

Maybe it’s time for a bit of monster bashing.

‘Monster bashing’

As a child I climbed wary up ‘apples and pears’

for who knew what lurked at the top

of our steep stairs?

Someone might think it a wheeze, a lark

to pop out of a doorway

in sheltered dark

so my heart beat fast and I ran

into my bedroom

safe at last

though only for a little while

as there was much besides

to wipe off a smile

What if…instead of the stairs

there was something lurking

Under There

waiting to snaffle my delicate toes

with tongue poking out

‘neath its bulbous nose?

My breath held still, waiting

while feet slid cautious

under covers, hesitating…

then let out an exhaled sigh

silly me with imagination

running sky-high

Though no night terror could compete

with the monsters inside

my home and street

given freedom beyond my years

I could have been one of

those who disappears

finding, as I did when fully grown

that monsters loom large

more in heart than home

no longer safely contained

under my bed but barely

restrained inside my head

Largest of all is the monster FEAR

which paralyses us greatly

from getting anywhere

He seems unstoppable, untamed

until I remember to cry aloud

in Jesus’ Name

for every monster lurking in our head

has to flee when God’s authority

is stated and said

Even if they return to do their worst

by the power of the Cross

they’re defeated and cursed

So whatever monster you’re facing today

be it fear, anxiety, stress,

don’t let it hold sway

be on your guard, put your armour on,

keep the faith, say a prayer

stand tall and strong

for we’re fully protected by God’s grace,

His poured out blood, love, righteousness

and forgiveness covers

all shame and disgrace

©JoyLenton2013

Linking here with the lovely Ruth Povey for #Letterto This week’s prompt is:‘Letter to the monster under the bed’

You are warmly welcome and invited to join in.

Wall around the heart

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

Books have always spoken into my life, but some of them are literally life-changing and transforming.

The Bible stands out as the main means by which God brings His restoration and healing into our lives.

For the words within its pages are Life and Truth itself, messages from God’s heart to my own and to all mankind.

All other books I read pale into insignificance by way of comparison.

Though they still have a great deal to enlighten, inform and teach me.

One such book is a pre-launch copy of Mary de Muth’s latest book, ‘The Wall Around Your Heart’, which I’ve been privileged to read.

It soon presented a personal challenge as I began to see the walls I’d erected around my heart without knowing it.

They had been there so long it that I’d grown accustomed to them, seeing them as normal for who I was at times or missing them altogether.

And as I kept reading, it was clear God was asking me to face the fact of their existence and work with Him in bringing them down.

It hurt. Everything inside me protested. This was way too hard.

Thankfully, God deals with each one of us individually,  gently yet thoroughly.

As I made a decision to co-operate (when it became abundantly clear it was essential to do so), God began that deep excavation work He excels at….one small brick at a time….and walls have begun to wobble and shake.

They’re not down yet –  but we’re getting there.

The poem below was written a few weeks ago in response to this awakening.

Maybe you can relate to some of it.

If so, I would like to encourage you to consider how to overcome the walls you may have erected around your own heart.

Left unattended, they are prisons holding us back from living free and uncaged lives.

We are designed for so much more than this. Jesus died to set us free in every way possible.

Let’s aim to have a foretaste of heaven on earth as we learn to live as overcomers by God’s power, grace and strength.

‘Wall around my heart’

There is a wall

around my heart

hardening from hurt and pain

stony through suffering and shame

growing taller, thicker by the year

until I feel

I could disappear

beneath its weight

enclosed

entombed

suffocating shadow

looming over all my days

It’s a covering

a carapace, concealing

raw, soft vulnerability

within, a tender place

of wounding through words

and deeds of others

whose target struck and

stuck fast as shield impenetrable

stiff, unyielding rock

sheer cliff

to topple and destroy

all who may

approach this land

where I dwell

with drawbridge up, castle

fortified, defended, safe

as houses, built on sand

©JoyLenton2013

Today is the official launch day for ‘The Wall Around Your Heart’.

To find out more about the book and why it was written, click here.

To order/buy your own copy you can click here.

I will be blogging about its impact on my life in more detail over at Words of Joy later this week.

Linking here with Kate and Mari-Anna

One of those days

/ Joy Lenton / 2 Comments

I’m having one of those days.

It started badly with dropping four things before coffee – nothing broken, thankfully.

Just my bruised ego. Dented pride.

As an M.E and chronic illness sufferer, I still like to think I can handle a few simple tasks, until life shows me otherwise.

Clumsiness sits close to us when we’re tired and overdoing things, doesn’t it?

It’s pretty familiar to all M.E sufferers especially, where energy feels non-existent and brain fogged up by fatigue.

At times like this, stubbornness tends to take over and I often make it worse by trying to plough on regardless with my day.

I love to write and paint pictures through poetry and prose to bring a light of recognition to another.

Nothing brings me more joy than pouring out words.

Though I sense God may have other ideas for me sometimes. Rest, sleep, prayer, pause, may be higher on His agenda.

He knows just what each of us needs at any given moment.

We don’t see Jesus living a life of rush or hurry as we read of His life on earth.

He knew when to be about His Father’s business, when to rest, when to relax, when to speak or remain silent and when to seek God’s face.

Everything was carried out in the unforced rhythms of grace with Holy Spirit anointed ease.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn to do likewise?

As I sat pondering these things in my heart, God blessed me with the poetic prayer below.

I hope and pray it will bless you too.

Dear Lord,

It’s one of those days again

where there isn’t a sap of energy

or inspiration to be found

as we tap keyboard, fingers slow

knowing it’s probably better

to just take a nap

for rest is balm to weary minds

and in many ways

we can find it’s all that

 does the trick

restoring light and glow

to a flagging candle wick

And as we rest our soul

and spirit in Your word

we know that You are

making us healed and whole

whispering reassurance low

and soft, yet easy to be heard

welcomed and received

as daily manna, nourishment

we all desperately need

©JoyLenton2013

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly”  ~  Matthew 11:28-30

Stepping out

/ Joy Lenton / 16 Comments

Walking by faith can feel like fumbling about in a long, dark tunnel where our eyes strain to see any tiny pinprick of light to show the way.

Or traversing a narrow, uneven, stony pathway with deep ditches on either side which we fear falling into.

Any new route we undertake is made more hospitable and achievable in the company of one who knows the way.

And our journey of life and faith is no different.

Faith Steps

Each faltering step of faith I take

draws me closer to Your heart

revealing plans designed for me

though I may only glimpse a part

Foretaste of the future

and all that it may hold

if I only follow willingly

with footsteps firm and bold

Not trusting in myself at all

 but resting in Your grace

supplying provision for my needs

while I run this earthly race

And so I choose to raise my head

and see the way I’m going

not with anxiety, fear or dread

but trust in Your all-knowing

©JoyLenton2013

The way ahead is lit by the light of God’s word.

Much as a pilot can steer a boat safely and confidently into harbour when all the lights are lit, we have means to guide us through the path ahead of us.

One of our ‘lights’ is God’s word. We can be further helped by these things:deep inner conviction from the Holy Spirit, wise and godly counsel from mature believers and confirmation through auspicious circumstances coming together at the same time.

This is no hard and fast rule, more a guide when things seem particularly grey and murky and the way ahead unclear.

Much rests on what God is saying to us personally, how we sense He is leading and guiding.

Stepping out in faith means we don’t necessarily have the full picture before we take a first step.

Such is the adventure of walking with God.

How do you perceive guidance?

Are there signposts you look for to confirm a call from God?

Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to read them and will do my best to reply to them all

**NOTE** I am excited and delighted to announce that this poem is also profiled on my friend and fellow writer/poet, Joy deKok’s site. Do hop over and check out the other great posts there!

Day 10 of the 31 Day writing challenge #poetryforthesoul.

Thank you for so much for reading and encouraging me and giving me grace when I miss a day.

Safety valves

/ Joy Lenton / 4 Comments

Do you ever get to the point where you feel like exploding?

There are issues which can really make us mad.

Maybe something or someone has touched a nerve.

We feel raw. Wounded. Hurt.

Out of the blue (or so it seems) rage, anger, annoyance or other emotional pain come to the surface.

Feelings rise as steam and we long to vent somehow.

If our nearest and dearest are in range then they may be the unwarranted recipients of our spleen.

Perhaps we need a safe way and place in which to vent our feelings?

A safety valve to allow us to let go without losing full control.

An escape. Outlet.

It may vary greatly depending on the nature, duration and extent of our pain.

And the type of people we are, the resources we have and openings for letting go.

I have found many ways over the years to vent. Not all of them comfortable for others, sad to say.

Over the years, I have tended to rush more eagerly to the phone than the throne of grace.

Counselling gave me the tools to work through pain and see why it was so deep-rooted.

Now, I try to remember that God is always listening, caring, available  and – most important of all – loves us unconditionally.

Loved ones, friends and family can help us up to a point, but only God can truly heal, restore and make us whole again.

The poem below describes how those deep emotions can affect us and how I have found some help and release from mine.

Safety valve

Sometimes our pain

gets buried

deep inside

locked up

inaccessible

in a safe place

where we hide

our true selves

from prying eyes

yet wounds will

fester when left

unattended over years

and seep their poison

through our systems

releasing more

anxiety and fears

We need an outlet

safety valve to

vent within constraints

a catching-place

for leaking holes

where what is

heard is veiled

yet has intent

I express myself

through poetic lament

to pour forth

words as water

releasing mercy drops

that may hit

the spot for other

thirsty souls

©JoyLenton2013

This poem is part of a guest blog post on my friend, Barry Pearman’s site where I’m honoured and delighted to be sharing my thoughts on how poetry helps my mental health. I’d love you to come on over and read the rest there.

No ordinary day

/ Joy Lenton / 20 Comments

When we think about our lives, it is hard sometimes to rise above the mundane activities that shape and define our days.

Yet, even as we go about routines, our hearts can be lifted to places beyond the immediate.

Our eyes can be opened to more than we see.

Our hearts can be touched by glimmers of God’s grace.

And seemingly ordinary moments become a meeting place between heaven and earth.

God whispers close.

We hear Him and know we are in a Holy encounter.

Even with feet rooted firm to earth.

There is more to our lives than the surface and superficial dictate.

With receptive minds and hearts we can be ready for extraordinary moments in an ordinary day.

Today, I am joining in with Lisa-Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday as we write freely, letting words spill as they will, with no worry about over-thinking, marinading or perfection.

The prompt is:‘Ordinary’

START….

‘No ordinary day’

This is no ordinary day

in some extraordinary way

death is dying…

And because of You we are made brand new

because of Your great Love we’re redeemed, restored,

forgiven, healed, children of God above

because of Your grace we have everything we need

to run with joy this earthly race

Ordinary doesn’t begin to describe who we are anymore

each one unique, special, precious, gifted and adored

ordinary people made extraordinary by Your sacrifice

and our response to how You lay down Your own life

Clouds hung heavy and curtain was torn in two

from top to bottom, signalling our lives

are made certain  of spending  eternity with You

We have…

hope for today

blessings always

peace beyond measure

Your favour to treasure

We are…

never alone or forsaken

with sin, shame and guilt all taken

by Your death and dying

so we can dry our tears, still our fears

as we rest in all You are supplying

©JoyLenton2013

STOP

no ordinary day poem image pin