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Creativity: a peek behind the scenes
hope
Sensing Magic and Mystery
Christmas is a magical time for children. They approach it with great excitement in their hearts as they open their Advent calendars. With each day’s offering they note how closer they are getting to Christmas Day itself.
Countdown
A countdown is on,
with the daily opening of a door
in the Advent calendar.
Some have their minds fixed
on consuming chocolate
or finding a small gift.
Others watch a scene
unfold, a marvellous story
slowly, slowly gets told.
Perhaps a candle is lit
and left to burn while we
reflect on a word, name or date.
Anticipation builds
in the daily noticing,
receiving, seeing and reading.
December's cold drabness
is lifted by an interest
in things outside ourselves.
Gradually, these small
snapshots of hope, joy, mystery
are unveiled and revealed.
Until we reach the climax,
where the action really begins,
with a birth in Bethlehem.
© joylenton
“Whoever possesses God in their being has Him in a divine manner, and He shines out to them in all things; for them all things taste of God and in all things it is God’s image that they see.” ― Meister Eckhart
As we grow older, we tend to become less proficient in the art of sensing and noticing the magic in our midst, so we often miss the awe and wonder that exists.
It’s more about having gratitude for Presence than receiving presents, more about Nativity than having delicious food to eat. It’s less about what can be bought and more about what needs to be sought.
Giving gifts is a marvellous thing, and so is receiving them, but we can easily miss the holy point of Christmas when we’re overly concerned with purchasing stuff.
The hectic clamour of the world saturates our senses but it can be answered with the calming peace of God.
When we seek God’s rest and peace, we awaken anew to the magic and mystery wrapped up in the Christ-child before whom we kneel.
Let’s take a few moments for a prayerful pause and ask for a little stardust to fall on us.
Stardust
Come warm yourself, your chilled bones
by the fire,
near these searing, chosen coals.
I've saved a seat beside me
as we watch
a growing, iridescent glow.
It's the blaze of mystery sparking
the here and now,
as in-between this moment
and the next, it flows.
Hear it calling us forth to marvel
anew, to be inspired,
and to listen with each breath.
Let us be attentive, focused, still
as millponds,
with unbroken surfaces, like glass.
Let us wait for the fountain to flow
with a freedom
that is just within our grasp.
Let us stay with the silence, the best
approach to take
while we look, listen, and wait.
Then let us rise with stardust embers
shining from our eyes,
with gladdened hearts and minds
filled with a hope we dared to find.
© joylenton
Whatever you might be going through right now, my friend, my prayer for you is this:
May you make room for Jesus within this Christmas season and experience the Joy and Peace only He can bring to our hurting hearts.
As you contemplate the magic and mystery of the Nativity, may it live on in your soul, strengthen your faith, and encourage you, always.
🎄I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed, Happy New Year! 🎄
With love and deep gratitude for your lovely company here.
Joy Xx ❤️🎄💜🕊️🌺
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
growing: on flourishing in life and faith
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” — Psalm 92:12-14 NIV
Growing I want to grow slowly, like moss. Spread out with lively verdancy, stay bright and fresh, remain green-leaved. May I carpet my mind, my interior castle, my spirit with holy wisdom, with resiliency I can confidently walk upon with ease. Let me be rooted like a sturdy oak tree which freely spreads itself—its bark, branches, trunk and leaves across the forest floor because sunlight invites it to, and it knows how to grow and mature. May I stay strong and stable, secure during life’s fiercest storms, unshaken, unmoved, unbroken, unbowed, bravely holding on. Because I know that I am girdled around with supernatural strength that is not my own, but generously given to me as a pure gift of grace, one which stems from a surrendered dependency, while I stretch and remain rooted in faith. © joylenton
“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light.” ― Helen Keller
Whatever we might face, God will give us help and strength. While we wait, God grows our hope and faith. Whenever we feel weak, He enables us to soar above our challenging circumstances and depend on His grace. We’re covered, my friend, even though it might not feel like it sometimes.
Spiritual growth, whereby we develop wisdom, patience, maturity, resilience, and faith, is a slow process. I’m needing to remember that and give myself grace because we have an opportunity to move house this summer—gulp!—and will need those characteristics in abundance. We have a few short months in which to decide, downsize, declutter, and discard enough to make the move achievable for us.
I’m trusting that the months ahead of being more deeply rooted in faith will be rewarded by being fully equipped for all that lies ahead, because God is faithful to support and lift us up when we feel weak. Consequently, my words here will be sporadic while my limited energy, focus and strength are needed elsewhere. I welcome your prayers and look forward to reconnecting with you whenever I can. Blessings and love. xo 🙂 ❤
silence: stirred to listen harder to our lives
“In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You are aware of the beating of your heart. The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.” — Frederick Buechner
Stirred Angels stir the waters and we awaken, roused at last from slumber deep. We’re getting ready to receive. Our inner spirit had been sleeping, blissfully unaware, now it seems that God is calling. He is close—he is near. We can hear his holy footsteps because an unfolding advent, a season of awakening begins with this—this sudden impartation, this stirring of mind and heart. This call to listen, pay attention, and respond. Yes, yes, our souls sing silently as the mists part, the darkness yields itself to light, the shadowed dullness flees, replaced by illumination, bright luminosity is seen. To what end are we stirred like this, awakened, we know not yet, but still we rise inside, propelled by a holy purpose waiting to be revealed to us. Great change is in the air we breathe, scenting the atmosphere with silvery notes of promise, with hope, with an opening, a hint of blossoming to come. If only we would notice, and follow the path set out before us, be it rocky, smooth or hard, get ready to walk, leap or jump. © joylenton
“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord” — Henri Nouwen
Friends, it is a time for awe and wonder to predominate. A season in which we watch and wait. A moment to pause and catch our breath before we become too embroiled in Christmas busyness. And it’s a time to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here, for the shared conversations, thoughtful comments, and prayers.
I look forward to sharing life’s poetic rhythms with you again on January 14th, when I will have some special news to share! 🎄🌟May your Christmas and New Year celebrations be full of joy, and may you life be blessed with abundant hope, healing, and peace in the year ahead. 🌟🎄Blessings and love. Xox 😊💟❤️
autumn: a child’s eye view of the season
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. 🙂 ❤
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
Poetry Joy 