Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Creativity: a peek behind the scenes
encouragement
Waiting with anticipation during Advent
Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
glimpse: hope rises when light infiltrates our lives
“It’s always sunny above the clouds. Always. Every day on earth – every day I have ever had – was secretly sunny, after all.” — Caitlin Moran
Just a glimpse
Storms have moved on
at last, leaving behind
a waft of wind
gently tickling the earth.
Rain dominates
in glass-splattered splashes,
bead-laden leaves,
saturated grass patches.
Striated clouds
interleave with denser
drifts of shadowed
dark stratocumulus.
Yet there are gaps
ever-widening skeins
of bright blueness
where the thready strands part.
And I ponder
at the way my heart lifts
with just a glimpse
of sunlight, of wonder.
It is enough
to help instigate hope,
relieve sadness,
and stimulate my soul.
© joylenton
“I’ve found that there is always some beauty left – in Nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” — Anne Frank
flowering: your turn in the sun will come
Some of us are wilting for want of a Covid-free and hassle-free holiday, a proper time away from our oh so familiar homes, our troubled shores. A place in the sun, no less, reliable sunshine, that is.
Although there is beauty, refreshment and restfulness to be had closer to home than you might think. We English (or any other nationality, of course) roses can shine right here, right now, as we glow with the light of Christ, and have our beautiful flowering.
You might consider yourself to be more of a weed or wildflower, invisible to most, a person on the margins, not especially prized, perhaps. But wherever you are, and whoever you are, you are far from invisible to God. He watches carefully over all your seasons of flowering and growth.
Because wherever you and I might live, we can bloom right where we are planted. We can have a spiritual flowering any moment, any day, any season of the year we might be in. We only need to be willing to follow God’s timing.
“A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.” — Terri Guillemets
Flowering I observe how each rosy-pink of these growing buds slowly begins to open up, and fill with moisture, like rain-saturated tea cups, which turns them into spreading, pale, creamy, dark pink dotted petals, as if they are covered in measles. While the lush green leaves expand, stretch themselves to accommodate each spilling, fragrant froth of flower in its opening up, as they try to gather more chlorophyll greening into themselves from light in their veins. This lovely rose bush has her face uptilted, as if she is smiling at the sun, welcoming its warming touch, giving life and heat and energy in which to bloom where she is planted, here in this space. And I wonder if I am similarly receptive to the light shining within and without, as ready to stay rooted for months, patiently waiting for my turn in the sun, my flowering to come. © joylenton
“Earth laughs in flowers.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
darkness: how it reminds us to seek out the light
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
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
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
“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
belong: discovering our heart’s true home
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
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. 😊❤️
Poetry Joy 