faith

finding deeper joy in Jesus

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

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Each day leaves markers of mystery, holy echoes of eternity. If we come with open hands, open hearts and receptive minds, we are in a good place to see and sense God’s footprints in the familiar, the way He frames each day with the supernatural.

Days when pain pervades stronger than before, weeks where weeping and weariness are our cloak and covering, we may fail to see God’s presence through the fog of our existence.

Yet it is there, in tiny threads weaving their way through each hour – grace glimmers shining like gold in the midst of life’s detritus.

It takes a willingness to expand our inner vision to heavenly hands holding us close. It takes a determination to want to rise above the dark cloud of our circumstances.

It takes faith and endurance and a deliberate seeking after joy when pain and grief sit heavy as stone. Because we only begin to sense God’s nearness when we take our eyes off the problems and invite Him to reveal Himself to us, then look to Him instead.

It also requires honest confession of our feelings, vulnerability and a deciding not to hide ourselves from Him. And so we let ourselves be held, simply caught in arms of Love. All our deepest needs are met here: at the foot of the cross, by the Father’s side, within the arms of Jesus, where heaven’s unlimited provision is made available to us.

We rest our weariness, surrender our stress, anxiety and fears, allow grace and compassion to enter in, to fill and flood hearts that were previously downcast. Our feelings may take a while to match up with our faith, and that’s okay.

We soon discover joy is wrapped up best in the person of Jesus. He tenderly collects all our tears, bathes our wounds in heavenly Light. God’s radiance sears joy back into sad souls, enlivens tired minds, floods fearful hearts with an anchor of hope.

God awakens us anew to anticipation as He alerts us to His constant outpouring of grace and continual presence. He restores, refreshes and revives our lives. We find praise and gratitude begin to bubble to the surface, flowing from a heart now set on fire by Holy Spirit joy.

And we can rise, go forth into the fray with an extra zest in our steps, with a renewed awareness of God’s constant closeness strengthening us for all that lies ahead, giving a fresh measure of grace for each new day.

May these lyrics (from ‘Just be Held’ by Casting crowns) and listening to the song below help lift and encourage you: “Come to Me, find your rest in the arms of a God who won’t let go.”

31-days-of-journeying-into-joy-badgeWelcome to #day16 of #write31days of journeying into joy. I so appreciate you being here, friend! 

Together we can support, encourage and pray for one another as we learn how to journey deeper into joy.

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seeking to enjoy the journey we are on

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

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While we journey into joy, we soon discover how much better it is to have support, friendship and companionship to encourage us along the way. Especially when it becomes tough at times, there are mountains to negotiate or skirt round, several hills to climb, much travelling to do and lessons to get through.

The travelling can feel endless to reach our goals. Yet the road yawns wide before us, stretching its fingers toward the future, inviting us to do the same.

As we place our faith and hope in God, He will slowly unfurl the rich potential of days still to come, and grant us grace to enjoy the current view of the journey we are on.

The prayer below reflects on part of my creative journey, which is continually being shaped by faith and made achievable by God’s goodness and grace. May you see your own dreams reflected in it too.

Dear Father,

It seems strange to think that our afflictions can become joy bringers. Yet I know that without mine I would probably lead a disconnected selfish life, all the poorer for losing such deep need-driven daily dependence on your grace and mercy.

For in love, you have given us joy in knowing you, in living with your constant presence, in the persevering, enduring and overcoming, and joy in the journey itself.

We are created to dream big dreams, to believe for the impossible, to see your hand at work bringing life from what seems dead. A dream was laid on my heart. I dared to hope for something beyond the everyday.

I desired to write a book of poetry.  A seed of hope was sown, liberally watered by the encouragement of those you chose to accompany me. Their interest and support helped the fragile seed to grow, flower and flourish.

You knew I lacked courage to walk this path alone, that I would be tempted to give up without prayer and words to cheer me on, how my fears and failings would make me falter, weakness make me wilt and pain bring a halt to proceeding.

And you gave blessings in abundance, as you always do to each one of us – liberally, freely, graciously, lavishly, unexpectedly, joyfully.

You provided friends to walk beside me, peace in pursuing purpose, strength in sharing, courage in creativity.

All helping me to be here now – still walking in faith, still writing, still living and believing for greater things to come.

For you reward all who diligently seek after you. May it be our goal, always. The Giver of all good gifts does not disappoint us.

For these things and for your manifold mercies, we give you our grateful thanks and praise.

Amen

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

PS: *Take heart, friend – though we may have to wait a while, God-sized dreams do eventually come true. After over 2 years of waiting, I’m so thankful to have the fruit of this particular dream available now as a real live book to read! You can click on the link to access ‘Seeking Solace: Discovering grace in life’s hard places’, or UK readers will find it in the sidebar here. Every copy sold helps to raise funds for Action for M.E*

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31-days-of-journeying-into-joy-badgeWelcome to #day10 of 31 days of journeying into joy.

How is the journey going for you? Can you testify to God bringing a dream to pass?

Do let me know in the comments below.  🙂

you carry seeds of joy and hope of glory

/ Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

write31days-journeyingintojoy-carrying-seeds-of-hope-and-joy

 

There are days when we hang our head; maybe it droops low with fatigue, low mood, shame or shyness. It can be hard to lift it up again when life weighs heavy.

It’s in those times that God reveals Himself as the lifter of our head, the carrier of hope and healing. He imparts joy back into weary hearts. He sings softly to us of love and of how infinitely precious we are in His sight, just as we are.

“The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you” ~ Zephaniah 3:17 GNT

Poppies are a sign of remembrance, of battles fought and won, blood shed and victory secured. As we wear our poppy with pride (on Remembrance Sunday or Memorial Day), we think about the fallen, the brave and the bold who dared to lay down their lives for us.

Freedom comes at a price, and none higher than the shed blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He gave His all to save all for eternity. That’s how much you and I are valued by God.

Friend, you are not forgotten. Your life isn’t insignificant to the One who died so that you could live eternally with Him.

You are not a number, but a person of great worth and value to God. He knew you before you were born, lovingly crafted you together in your mother’s womb.

“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you” ~ Jeremiah 1:5 Message

Our earthly parents can reject or neglect us, but our heavenly Father never will. He longs above all things to reassure you of just how much He cares about you.

God sees the hope of glory residing inside, which opens its heart to the warmth of His presence. He sees all you are now and all you can become by His grace.

You and I carry joy seeds within when we are in relationship with Jesus. His characteristics are sown into our souls and new life germinates from the old.

As children of God we can live with head held high, heart at peace and joy within reach. Though pain and problems abound, there is comfort and hope to be found by trusting our unknown future to a known God.

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Welcome to #day8 of the #write31days writing challenge. Thank you for seeing me through my first week!

I appreciate your company and thoughts as I reflect on ways of journeying into joy. Do join in the conversation below.

how our small candlewick faith becomes a flame

/ Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

candlewick

 

When joy is thin on the ground we search for ways to ignite it again. The means may vary, but the aim is to recover some semblance of contentment, a small spark of joy whereby we feel more alive and engaged.

I derive a great deal of pleasure from creation’s beauty, the way it leaves its signature scent on each day. The hard part is to develop awareness, to deliberately turn my eyes toward the window, step outside a while and simply breathe a bit of fresh air, marvel at the changing seasons, take some photos.

Being housebound needn’t limit appreciation of the world outside my window. If anything, it intensifies it. Clouds are a constant source of delight when I remember to watch them. Sometimes all it takes is a simple lifting of eyes and heart heavenwards, a reaching out to God in gratitude for all He is and all He has given us.

It is said that those who develop an attitude of gratitude are among the happiest people in the world, because thankfulness sparks deeper contentment and joy. Making space to record God’s goodness toward us sets us on a reflective path which leads to pleasure, whereby we focus more on fullness instead of perceived lack.

I’ve recently decided to journal again after neglecting to do so for a few months. Now I regularly use an app to write a few words of poetry and add a photo or two, sometimes write out first/last free-writing thoughts in a simple spiral notebook, as well as keeping a prayer journal where whispers from the Lord sit beside notes on Bible verses or from books that are speaking to me.

However we plan or prepare, whatever gratitude notes or  journaling method we use, it can be a great means of reconnecting to the creative self within, as well as making us more aware of God’s footprints in our day. And once we actively seek out God’s presence, He begins to ignite faith, hope and joy again, reviving weary souls with renewed strength.

Igniting joy

A thick blanket of darkness covers

us, smothering hope and joy within,

dampening our dreams, pouring

cold watery streams on the fire

of desire and imagination

 

Then we take our small faltering

candlewick, hold out our brief spark

like a trembling flag of faith from

quaking, fearful hearts. And we watch

mesmerised as it ignites a fiercer

 

Light, burning companionably

beside ours, its fulsome flame

strong enough to consume each part

of dark; every inky cloud covering,

every dim place – now blazes bright again

©JoyLenton2016

“The Light shines in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it]” ~ John 1:5 AMP

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Welcome to #day6 of 31 days of journeying into joy.

I hope and pray these daily posts are a fresh infusion of joy and a blessing to you.

The post for #day5 can be found on wordsofjoy.me as I am sharing a few there. Just click here to read it. Thank you! 🙂

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when you can’t see the wood for the trees

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

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We’ve all been there – lost and unsure, wondering which direction to take, what decision to make. Ideas loom up large as trees, yet we cannot  see the way ahead, nor barely find the light hidden within the foliage.

As we examine our lives we can see a mixture of the old and new; some things feel fresh and vital and others seem stale and lifeless. Maybe they are signs to point the way ahead?

Guidance can feel like walking down a long dark tunnel with only a tiny match to light the path before us. We long for further clarity. God usually gives us just enough light for the next step we need to take.

Beyond that all is black to our eyes. How can we have hope and joy when we feel so uncertain? It helps to remember the walk of faith is exactly that – not a quick jog or a drive-through. We will walk slow at times, falter and fumble our way into the future, though as long as we keep on keeping on we are making progress.

But that doesn’t mean God isn’t with us for every step we take. He is the silent companion for all our days,  whispering words of comfort, offering help just when we need it. And we have His covering of grace, wisdom and discernment which grows stronger as we press on and push past our reservations.

Fear will keep us glued to the spot but faith will help us to march on regardless. The more accustomed we are to holding onto the hand of God in daily life, the more we grow used to the way He leads and guides.

During times when you can’t see the wood for the trees, take note of what seems dead, what appears to be dying back and what is still showing signs of life and vitality.

There are hints wrapped up in life’s seasons and whispers given with each new thing. Our task is to pray, search the Scriptures, ask God to reveal His will for us, keep our eyes and ears open for all the ways in which He chooses to speak.

We may hear a direct word which appears to leap off the pages of our Bible. We might be listening to a sermon, or having a conversation where our heart jumps in recognition at something we hear.

We could be quietly carrying on with our everyday lives, preoccupied with a mindless task, perhaps, and suddenly sense God speaking to us. It’s a good idea to have a pen and paper handy or use a phone to record those thoughts. They could be really useful in the days or months ahead. This is a great tip for writers especially, so we don’t lose those sudden flashes of inspiration!

There is always new life emerging from what seems dead or dying, although some days we have to deliberately seek it out. Even our hopes, dreams and plans can experience a lay-off season and be followed by a resurrection of sorts. Our journey into joy will be fraught with obstacles, yet we can negotiate them all with God beside us.

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Welcome to #day1 of 31 days of journeying into joy. I’m so pleased you are here! Thank you for joining me.

Do make yourself known in the comments below, and share what you are writing about this month…  🙂

 

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Journeying into joy when you feel joyless

/ Joy Lenton / 14 Comments

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Joy may be my name but it doesn’t always describe my nature. I’m inclined to let my feelings run away with me sometimes, especially those that slide toward life’s dark side.

This season of diminishing light usually means I sit more with sadness and SAD becomes my defining characteristic, as well as a condition I battle with.

And it’s probably because of this propensity that God has lain a word on my heart about the need to deliberately pursue joy in the midst of challenging circumstances.

My journey into joy may sound easy and delightful, (and I hope it will be!), but experience tells me I have a natural bent toward discouragement. It’s one I fight continually in my desire to reveal God’s hope and joy to others.

So I am going against my feelings, aiming to see joy as more than an emotion, and seeking to unearth the fruit of it as a woman of faith who could really use a fresh infusion of joy in her mind and heart. Maybe you do too?

Before we start (October 1st, God willing), I am sharing a poem written at a time when feelings overwhelmed and faith had a fight on its hands. Because we need to acknowledge where we have a joy deficit before we can move forward toward a greater awareness of what sparks joy for us.

Joyless

Today’s events tied me up in knots of stress,

taking captive the better part, no less,

while my worst emotions became unravelled

loose like string, leaving patience looking

patchy, worn and thin. Life will leave

us lifeless, fired up with feelings

which dissipate like a fading wind

 

And I seem to have swallowed a stone

I can’t shift. It sits heavy as iron,

wrinkling up my soul, pressing sharp

edges into my insides. A sour

twisting, turning acid with each

remembrance of how I have failed

to live with joy – as one already blessed

JoyLenton2016

As you can see from the poem above, I really need to fight for joy, to make space each day for happiness and contentment.

It’s not going to be plain sailing because my current life and health challenges make for choppy seas, and daily writing is a big ask for me. However, this wobbly faith warrior has a steel core of confidence in God seeing her through. I believe God has inspired me to undertake this journey and I trust Him to provide as I depend on Him.

I greatly value your prayers, and would love your company here as we learn how to walk with more joy over the days ahead via an eclectic mix of poetry and prose. Come join me? If you would like to follow along, you can do so by signing up via email. See you in October! 🙂

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Hope manifests in Jesus

/ Joy Lenton / 18 Comments

hope-manifests-in-jesus-pj

 

Hope has felt rather elusive this week, as I’ve been battling several puzzling and frustrating technical issues which have succeeded (so far) in locking me out of my Words of Joy blog. Yes, really.. 😦

If anything, despair has been my constant, unwelcome companion over the last few days. Despite my best efforts to resolve the matter, it remains a mystery to me. It’s also been far easier to sink with discouragement, admit defeat, rather than see the positives.

Thankfully, sharing this burden with others and getting prayer support, as well as sitting quietly with Jesus, has helped tremendously to shift my perspective.

All the same, the poem below came out of a painful place where I am learning to fight back with joy, to rest in God’s provision (I still have this place to write in – hooray!) and calmly work toward a resolution.

With a fresh measure of hope, I offer these words to you, with the prayer that you will begin to rediscover hope for yourself if it’s been a bit absent recently…

Hope manifests

We carry the world’s echo within, its resonance

stretching hope thin. Life weighs heavy as stone

and we scratch like hungry hens seeking seeds,

paw at parched ground before us – come up empty

 

Lifting our eyes to a larger horizon, we sense

a gentle presence like soft fronds of a feather

tickling our souls. No harsh shouting here,

no risk of being swallowed whole, of disappearing

 

down a black hole of loneliness. Instead,

we see Light shining in crevices, lifting gloom

with glory markers. And as we turn again

to feel its refreshing rain, Hope manifests

 

as the eyes and arms of Jesus, bringing

joy and comfort to weary hearts – wrapping

snug like a warm duvet on a winter’s day

 

We nestle within the folds of hope, held

fast, secure at last, while chaos still

reigns, but calm is now restored within,

because we are resting our souls in Him

JoyLenton2016

I’m so thankful for these grace gifts:

  • God’s continual goodness and grace
  • hope in life’s dark places
  • supernatural calm displacing anxiety and stress
  • patient endurance to get through trials
  • kind friends, loving family, help at hand
  • prayer support just when I needed it
  • inspiration coming
  • words to write

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tunes without the words,

And never stops at all

~ Emily Dickinson

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Maintaining a higher perspective

/ Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

maintaining a higher perspective - PJ

 

When life’s demands send us to our knees, or lay us low with illness and fatigue, we receive all the help we need when we look beyond our current circumstances and look up to God.

In the realisation that we have no resources left we are thrown upon God’s mercy and grace, His unlimited strength, stable unchanging character and limitless love.

During the long summer days when I have been absent here, flat-out with fatigue and often too preoccupied to see more than is before me, I’ve found my greatest peace in knowing God has got me covered.

He has given me supernatural strength to care for my husband after his spinal surgery, and energy enough to take on some of the household tasks I usually need to leave in his capable hands.

Yes it’s been tough, really hard and challenging for this woman with M.E. I’ve ached to resume our  normal routine again, because my husband’s recovery has been slow and support from others naturally lessened as the weeks went by.

I couldn’t write or be present on social media like I used to. My life shifted into a new gear,  demanding all I could give and more besides.

But I always knew (and still do as things ease a little) God was with me, with both of us as we adapted to our challenging changing circumstances.

The cloud of God’s presence overshadows every moment, even as His radiance invites us to look for the glints of light peeking through our own clouds.

He sees all our days. They’re spread out before Him  – a tapestry of grace in all its messy, tangled, colourful glory.

He paints beauty within the commonplace and yearns for us to see and sense it, too, those gentle footprints of His presence.

Some days I’ve looked up and watched the glory in the heavens. I’ve also caught a glimpse of things closer to home.

I’ve deliberately been trying to listen to my life, taking photographs of the beauty surrounding me, seeing things from a fresh perspective.

The poem below reveals the advantage of having a lofty perch mentally, if not physically…

A lofty perch

a lofty perch - PJ

They hover on the brink

close to the edge where

talons meet tile.

Their plump grey plumage

mirroring cloud covering.

Eyes scan the horizon

for a soul mate

to share a lofty perch.

A close companion

become a pigeon pair.

And in the courtship dance

they bill and coo their way

upon life’s stage.

Entranced by heights

they stretch and fly

together now, soft dots

against bright curtain swag

of sun and sky

©JoyLenton2016

Friends, it’s  good to be back to writing and sharing here again. I’ve really missed you! Thank you for your patience. Hope you like the new look. The header image is from an arty-style photo of mine taken this summer – an experiment in expressing creativity differently.  What has God has been revealing to you this season? I’d love you to share in the comments below. 🙂

Learning how to yield to rest

/ Joy Lenton / 8 Comments

cat- yielding to rest PJ

It’s natural for cats (and babies) to yield to rest at every given opportunity. They swiftly switch off from the world for a while, whenever they feel like it. But it is not always so easy for the rest of us.

I sense God urging this weary woman to desist from her online labours and rest a while. I’ve already had to pull back from so much, including writing as often as I want to.

Yet I sense a sliver of resistance within, even though I am desperate for rest.

The struggles are manifold for a person with M.E who has to carefully consider the use of all (or any) available energy, engage mindfully, pace and rest regularly on a daily basis. To be asked to do so for weeks at a time seems daunting.

Because rest so often feels like a giving in to insignificance rather than a gentle yielding to necessity.

This feels especially true for writers, who are meant to develop and maintain an online presence, retain their visibility.

Questions arise when we have to withdraw for a while: Who am I if I am not present to the world? How can taking time out be such a blessing to me?

And that’s when God steps in with His thoughts to help still our anxious ones…

Prayer Whisper: ‘Yield to rest’

prayer whisper image

“In rest and repentance lies your strength. In surrender to Me you find your true significance.

Time may be of the essence, but do you not know that I stand beyond its confines?

Have you not considered how I also wrote eternity into your heart so that you would seek Me with an open mind and embrace My love to infinity?

When you resist rest, you resist opportunity to witness My deeds and to hear from Me in the quiet spaces of your day. 

Unless you can release the drive and desire to succeed or to be seen into My hands, you will wear yourself out in circles of comparison and slip into ditches of discouragement.

Come, My child. Come and rest those ambitions, dreams, hopes and plans as you yield them to Me. I am the One who will exalt you in due time when you humble yourself before Me.

It is My greatest desire for you to walk in daily dependence on Me. Watch and see what the Lord will do. No good thing will I withhold from those who love Me and walk according to My precepts.

Come closer. Relax your hold on life and allow Me to carry you as I also keep all things safe. Here, in My Presence, you will find deeper rest and peace than ever before. A peace only I can give you; peace which no-one can take away.

Trust that all your cares and concerns are safe in My capable hands. I know what you can bear and what is too heavy for you to carry.

Seek My face at intervals throughout your day. I made you and I will sustain you.”

Such words bring me up short. They also allow me to exhale, breathe easy again.

This is a season for slowing down, a time to rest, recoup, recover, become restored. You may find yourself in a similar situation.

We can relax better into a season of rest when we realise how much God looks forward to us spending quality time with Him.

He longs to infuse fresh energy into weary bodies, instil new inspiration into dulled minds. God also requires our willing submission when His Spirit urges us to draw aside for a while, take a break with Him.

I need more rest, more of God’s best for me in every way, and I feel ready to relinquish my hold on other things to make it possible. Will you join me? 

We can meet up here again (and over at Words of Joy) and see what God has worked in us when we’ve become less concerned about our own accomplishments, or the lack thereof.

Forgive me for running way over time for my last #FMF and #letusgrow post for a while. The prompt, ‘rest’ was a beacon to my brain.

Here’s a tiny helping of haiku to set us up for more restful days ahead…

sleep haiku - poetry joy

That’s how the light gets in

/ Joy Lenton / 20 Comments

how the light gets in - PJ

Light infiltrates a forest. Its fingers spreading wider as it turns from spotlight to flood.

What began as just a small reveal soon illuminates everything. That’s how light works if we let it in.

Brightness beams its way into each day. We may not always see or sense it if our eyes or soul are dulled.

God sends His presence forth in rain and thunder, blaze of creation’s beauty and soft foggy breath of subdued sunlight.

There isn’t a place, space or person that can remain permanently indifferent to His penetrating, laser-light gaze.

Light will find a way to penetrate our days. The tiniest crack in the surface of things becomes an opening to grace. 

“Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in” – Leonard Cohen lyrics from ‘Anthem’ 

God loves us too much to leave us alone to stew in our situations, or become derailed by challenging circumstances.

As our loving heavenly Father, He cares tenderly and compassionately about how His children are and how we feel.

I’ve been laid low lately with increasing physical and mental health challenges. It’s still hard at times to see the positive.

Each day is a fight to choose joy. To choose hope over despair, courage to go on instead of discouragement to grind to a halt.

Being mortal can seem like a burden on days when I yearn for a life beyond the one I am living. Maybe you’ve been there too?

But God… – two of the most important words in the universe – reminds me that you and I are birthed for a reason, here for such a time as this, destined for a purpose we can barely sense or taste the fullness of even as we’re living it.

All God asks is that we allow His Light and Love admittance, one small sliver at a time, letting it warm our hearts, restore gratitude and illuminate the path before us.

As God shines His goodness and grace into our hearts we begin to see how our very weakness and brokenness, the cracks in our earthly existence, are the means by which He enters in. So there is hope for us all.

A small reveal

There’s a sliver of light

snaking through these dark

curtains of discouragement

Barely a beam can be seen

but a softening ray may

just be discernible

It’s thawing shivers of ice

Cracking the surface

of seen things, making way

for the Unseen realm

to penetrate my

feelings of overwhelm

We think we need a road

to Damascus experience

But sometimes God shines

a tiny, subdued light instead

Enough for us to see and kneel

marvelling at this small reveal

©JoyLenton2016

How is God revealing Himself to you in this season? 

What helps to keep you stable in life’s storms?

A small reveal poem pin - PJ