hope

You have a story to tell

/ Joy Lenton / 26 Comments

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Sometimes our own words come back to haunt us.

Or an annoyingly catchy phrase from a song lingers way too long.

Then there are the words spoken to us, over us and into our lives.

We live and breathe story. Our lives are wrapped up and unfold in it.

The tangled threads of our days are being woven into a greater narrative of God’s design.

He finds ways to bring what we need to hear and heed back to our remembrance.

It happened to me recently. Words hung in my head and called me to pay attention. I found them in my Prayer Journal.

The ‘Prayer Whisper’ below was received over a year ago but it meets me where I am right now as a woman of faith, writer and poet.

And it whispers gentle into my future still hidden in Christ.

As an M.E and chronic illness sufferer, who is still battling a painful past by the grace of God, I need to believe it’s not all about me and my troubles but about how He is bringing me through them.

God calls me to share my pain and the overcoming of it through poetry and prose. Maybe you can do that too? We all need to know we are not alone.

There is hope. You matter. Your story matters to us and to God.

In the sharing of it we are all enriched, encouraged and supported, inspired to believe for good outcomes.

My hope and prayer is that you will find courage to share your story and grow stronger in the process.

‘Prayer Whisper:Your story matters’

“You have a message to share. You have a story to tell. Surrender the outcome to Me. All I ask of you is that you are willing to write as I guide, speak as I direct, and listen continually for My promptings. Sometimes words will flow and be written down; other times you wait in faith and trust, with expectancy, and I will provide as you take the first step.

Surrender your tools to Me. Your pen, paper, keyboard, phone or voice. In My hands they will accomplish far more than you can imagine. If words stall and you feel blocked from speaking, do not allow fear to paralyse you further. Continue to believe that I will provide.

There will be seasons of bounty and seasons of fallow. Believe I am in both. Your heart may need surgery. Your attitude and thoughts may need correction. It is necessary to purify and make you fit for purpose.

Then you will come forth as gold and shine with My radiance and glory. I will renew and restore what is broken and lost. You still see holes. I see more areas where My grace can filter through.

Trust the work I am doing in you. Broken, weak and wounded people surrendered to Me are the most beautiful vessels to reflect My Light to others”.

Joining here with Ruth for #letterto ~ ‘Letter to a future me’

And with Jen as we find heaven in the everyday

Fuel to light a fire

/ Joy Lenton / 16 Comments

In these dark days of Winter we need all the help we can get to stay hopeful and encouraged.

Some seasons of the soul have their own gloomy aspect.

Fog swims in to cloud our vision.

Hope gets lost. Despair can set in. Depression is at its heels.

How can we encourage ourselves? Here are a few ideas:

Stay focussed on the positive. There is always a glimmer of light somewhere.

Keep a daily gratitude journal.

Nurture yourself inwardly and outwardly.

Feed on God’s word.

Seek the balm of friendship and support from loved ones.

Finding ways to help and encourage others will restore joy to our own souls too.

Some more thoughts on encouragement for #fiveminutefriday where we pour out words as God gives grace:

START…

‘Encouragement’

Encouragement is the fuel which lights a fire

of hope to all our dreams and desires.

Life can seem worth living again

under the sprinkle of its refreshing rain.

A word in due season can impart

a soothing balm to a broken heart,

Holy oil to bathe wounds and hurts

as it pours into everywhere we insert.

Life-giving, enhancing, gift and grace

to anoint and energise us for our race.

Whether by caring word or deed

we sow love and kindness seed.

And it gives and gives and gives some more

returning to us when we’re wretched and poor,

lighting a spark when energy is low

providing far more than we’ll ever know.

So God encourages us all to strive

to pour this gift into another’s life ~ 

A listening ear, understanding, a hand to hold,

words and actions together make it twofold;

let it be given as we also enjoy receiving

the reassurance it offers to keep on believing.

©JoyLenton2014

STOP.

Joining here with Lisa-Jo, Mel and Laura and other brave and bold creatives as we share what God lays on our heart .

And for further encouragement ~ because don’t we just need it? ~ here’s a link to my writer friend James Prescott’s site where he specialises in the subject and has some great free resources to offer you too. Just click on his name to be taken there.

Words for wounded warriors

/ Joy Lenton / 7 Comments

In a season where there is more physical and emotional challenge than usual, it helps to think of others who are also in need.

So many wear smiles on the outside yet feel broken inside.

So many give and give and give some more until they are left as limp, worn-out rags.

It can take all the courage we can muster just to face another day.

And often the most holy thing we can do is just to take a nap.

A heart can ache heavy with unspoken fears and cares.

We can feel alone in a sea of faces.

We can move heaven and earth for our loved ones only to be rejected or neglected.

Try as we might, we cannot suppress all the pain we carry.

As I reflect more on my life in an effort to hear all God may be saying to me, I find myself thrown to my knees more often than not.

And there I discover the One who inhabits all the hard places we find ourselves in.

God’s grace crawls into every crack and crevice of our days.

All the mess and mayhem, muddle and struggle are known to Him.

So we pray…

‘A prayer for the hurting’

God bless the wounded warriors,

the ones who crawl and cry through,

those who press in and press on 

with leaking eyes and leaking wounds,

the battle-scarred and beaten down.

Bless the broken-hearted, bleeding and bruised

 reeds rubbed raw by those who have 

rubbished and rejected them,

those who can barely lift their face

weighed heavy with shame and disgrace.

Hold those who cannot hold on another minute,

whose lives are fear-filled,

whose faces are tear-filled,

who feel empty of worth and value

of no repute, cast aside, left behind.

Keep safe the ones who are drowning,

whose days and nights 

drip with disappointment,

dread, darkness and torment 

of body and soul.

Cradle the lonely;

let your love wash over them,

embrace their emptiness

and fill with the companionship

that only Your Presence provides.

Come alongside the misunderstood,

the marginalised,

the misfits,

the mayhem makers

and risk takers.

Bring strength to the weary,

grace for the weak,

hope for the hurting,

freedom for captives,

peace for the pain.

The path is long, the way is hard,

finishing line too far to see

as we drag there on our knees,

dry and thirsty for relief

desperate for some ease.

Walk with us as you did of old

on sand-crusted shore,

dirt-trodden pathways,

seeking and saving 

those who are lost.

For we need you, Lord Jesus;

Your return seems far off,

We fight and we fail,

shout, cry and rail,

for a touch from above.

Amen

©JoyLenton2013

 “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out” ~ Isaiah 42:3

This poetic prayer lament appeared first on Words of Joy. It is a heart’s cry God delights to answer. Hungry, hurting hearts will always find grace to help in time of need.

May it bless you to read it here and remember that God is with you in every trouble, trial and testing. If you would like me to pray for a specific need, please reply in the comments below.

And keep in mind that God loves you so much, just as you are ~ He really does ~ and wants above all things for you to seek His face in the everyday challenges of life.

Burning bright and clear

/ Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

The lights are going out everywhere.

Decorations put away for another year.

Brightness losing to grey and gloom.

But what if we deliberately make room for it?

With ‘listen’ being my #oneword365, I aim to use all of my senses more fully.

And as a personal writing challenge this year, I am starting with 31 days of being more mindful.

Notice normal.

Find ordinary extraordinary.

Turn away from doom and drear.

Let my interest in life burn bright and clear.

See God’s goodness and grace all over the place.

Savour the flavour of life ‘As Is’ in a way I may not have done before.

It began on January 1st with this #smallstone offering:

And it has continued since as I’ve shared them on social media. Not aiming for perfection ~ just attention to detail ~ I will share some of them here with you too.

Today’s poem came from reflecting on the change of season and end of Christmas/New Year celebrations.

Maybe I can encourage and inspire you to actively listen to your life and find greater joy and discovery in the everyday? I hope so.

‘Evergreen’

Embracing a new year

means that Christmas decorations

tend to disappear

and all its celebrations

are at an end

Though God’s Light

is not suspended

but shining bright and clear

it remains to comfort and to cheer

Burning evergreen in our souls

perfect for every season

it is the very reason

we are healed, restored, made whole

throughout the year

as it leads, guides and directs

our pathways here

©JoyLenton2014

Treasure mined in darkness

/ Joy Lenton / 4 Comments

Christmas may be over for another year; food supplies begin to deplete along with our flagging energy and enthusiasm.

Yet hope, love and grace are evergreen ~ lingering eternally in our hearts even through the darkest days.

We may clear away the debris of celebrations but we hang on to memories we have made.

Think of Love come down to earth and how that impacts the everyday with awe and wonder.

Admire our gifts and consider the greatest Gift ever given to us ~ our Lord Jesus Christ.

And we may ponder the worth and value of the gifts we have been given by God over the last year and beyond.

For a gift may come wrapped in sadness and sorrow, problems and pain, suffering and shame.

It can take some searching to see the light shining through the darkness.

Appreciate grace glimmers in hard places.

Such a gift came to me and it took me many years to receive, unwrap and appreciate its worth.

‘Hidden Depths’

It can be really hard

to understand

how weakness and fragility

that render lives

dependent, still and slow

may be gifts

from God’s right hand

that He, in infinite mystery

has chosen to bestow

And yet there lingers

surprising nuggets of His grace

glinting bright in dark

circumstance and place

we deem rightly painful, sad;

though from His loving fingers

we can trace joy and hope

rising through all that seems

heavy weighted-down and bad

For those who cling

desperate closer toThe Vine

can find strength beyond measure

as they seek to bring

their lives as daily offering

found in their struggle,

pain and suffering, it can

yield unexpected treasure

of hidden depths to mine

©JoyLenton2013

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” ~ Isaiah 45:3

This poem links with the theme of the blog post ‘When a gift doesn’t look like one’ that I wrote as a guest post on my writer friend James Prescott’s site. You can click here to read it.

Reaching out

/ Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

This is a season for reaching out.

Making quality time for loved ones, family and friends.

Offering gifts, help and encouragement.

Creating space to meet with our Creator-God.

Seeking to engage our finite minds and lives with the Infinite One ~ our Lord Jesus Christ.

Preparing hearts and homes to receive Him anew.

As the Advent season of watching and waiting, reaching out and receiving draws to its glorious ending, I reach out to you with gratitude for all God has done in my life this year.

I am particularly thankful for the many new friendships I have made in the writing community especially.

Thank you for being here and sharing the poetic journey with me. I have really appreciated your company and comments.

And as I take a brief break to recharge my batteries and enjoy having time to read and reflect more, I pray that you may you have a truly blessed and hope-filled Happy Christmas!

‘Reaching out’

There’s a reaching out

across time and eternity

as Love comes down

to embrace our fallen humanity

and spill the fragrance, sweet savour

of God’s holy favour

There’s a whisper, a shout,

an angelic proclamation

as the Prince of Peace

invades every tribe and nation

with the news of His birth

echoing throughout earth

There’s a longing, a sigh,

in hearts heavy and weary

for a way to break free

from days hard and dreary,

with scattered hopes and dreams

failed plans and schemes

There’s a wonder, a cry

and recognition dawning

that this baby, Christ-child

brings us a resurrection morning

of forgiveness, mercy and healing

seen in God’s grace all revealing

©JoyLenton2013

Remembering

/ Joy Lenton / 2 Comments

It is Remembrance Day today and our thoughts stray toward those who gave of themselves to secure our freedom and peace.

In the remembering there is nostalgia, recognition of pain and loss, and reminder of hope for the future.

Fields

Fields of death blush poppy-red with blood-soaked

reminders of another poured out offering

sacrificial stained scarlet thread and flood

of grace upon the cross as Jesus took upon

Himself our sorrow, sin and shame

overcoming the curse of death

securing victory in His Name

Fields of toil trampled as mud ditches, slurry

to soil a soul, drain hopes and dreams

of riches in these lands where fortune beckons

and greed reckons it right to fight to win

where all is counted lost or gain

as men sigh discontentedly and long to find

safe harbour and cleave to their own hearth again

Fields of life spring bleach-white unto harvest

lands of opportunity, chance to exchange

the better for the best and lead others

to a place of knowing and growing strong

before they enter their eternal rest

Here ~ man, woman and child of every tongue

rejoice in full salvation for everyone

Fields of joy dance bright, Elysian pure

rippling rivers of refreshment for warriors

made weary fighting brave and bold

now resting from their labours as they savour

peace at last within spirit, body, mind,

meet and greet with great delight loved ones

lost, now reunited forever more with kith and kin

©JoyLenton2013

Seeing clearly

/ Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

Life can so easily throw us off balance.

All it can take is a word, a look, a thought, a new problem.

Seeking the truth of the matter can be challenging.

Our senses are alert, heightened by sensitivity.

How do we decipher truth from lies,  fact from fiction, knowing and believing from ignorance and misunderstanding?

When I keep my eyes focussed on my circumstances the pain can feel overwhelming.

I feel lost, alone, muddled and confused.

When I lift them to God’s word, seek His presence and listen to all He desires to impart to me, my eyes cease being clouded by suspicion, discouragement or fear and my vision becomes clear again.

My heart beats steady.

My thoughts begin to align more with His thoughts.

I am encouraged and strengthened to face another day, another problem, another set of unwelcome circumstances.

Taking off my worldly lenses and putting on spiritual ones helps keep my mind and heart tuned into His truth.

And the more I read, understand, pray, and believe God’s word, the more He fills me with a peace that transcends all circumstances.

I’m getting a bit philosophical here today as I join in with #fiveminutefriday ~ where we write freely, no worries about perfection, just for the sheer pleasure of seeing words fall on the page; then we link up, share the love, read one another’s posts and leave an encouraging comment ~  today’s prompt is:‘Truth’.

START…

‘Seeing and believing’

Mirrors lie.

They reflect what is incomplete

distort, show only in part,

unless you look into God’s mirror ~

His Word

will reveal all that is real

 deep and true, lasting, honest

messages from His heart

to you.

The world will have you believe

you are not enough, you are inadequate,

you’re not up to scratch,

not a player, not a winner, not up to much,

not a great catch.

But God…

says in His word you are dear, deeply loved,

someone He longs to draw near to,

bring comfort, help, heal and restore,

bring peace, hope and joy

to your life once more.

You are more than enough

you are His precious beloved

…..and that’s the Truth.

No matter how you may feel

try to cling to what is real

about life and love as seen in God

and trust His opinion above all others

~ even your own.

Believe, receive and grow strong

in all your soul longs to know.

You are loved and you belong.

©JoyLenton2013

Trust…Rest…Understand…Thank…Hope

STOP.

Linking here with Lisa-Jo Baker for #fiveminutefriday and with Laura at Missional Women #FaithFilledFriday

You are very welcome and warmly encouraged to join in.

Climbing strong

/ Joy Lenton / 13 Comments

So much of life can lay us low, bring defeat, discouragement and despair.

As part of the overcoming process we need to be reminded about God’s power to save and pull us out of any pit we may have fallen into.

Remember:

Even if we feel isolated and lost, we are never alone in any battle we may face.

Christ has already secured victory for us at the cross.

It is ours by faith.

His strength and grace are always available.

We are also part of His body.

Each one of us held and encouraged by the wisdom, comfort and prayers of others.

Together we are stronger.

No matter what we go through, we can have hope rising from the ashes of our painful and challenging experiences.

Today, I am celebrating the ability God gives us to support one another to rise above our circumstances.

Climbing strong

We rise up bold

shaking off dust and ashes

for we are the brave and the free 

kicking away the lies

and deceit of the enemy

now in tatters at our feet

as we take our place

together… 

let us embrace

our stories, who we are

how far we have come

renewed, redeemed children

of grace and hope

no longer at the end

dangling on bitten rope

we are…

rising, climbing strong

to the glory that awaits us

and enjoying the view

while we eschew all

that no longer belongs

as part of our lives

or hearts

as one…

being light

being salt 

being hope

bringing encouragement

as truth believers

truth bearers

weavers of story

strong through struggle

tensile with tenderness

love and compassion

as we seek…

above all things

to be true 

to ourselves

our calling

to the future

where hope rests

eternal in all

and nothing else

will ever snarl

trip us up

or make us fall

©JoyLenton2013

 

 

This is Day 4 of #poetryforthesoul Hope you can join me again tomorrow

Not giving up

/ Joy Lenton / 11 Comments

In the midst of our daily struggles we have hope of seeing change.

God arms us with hope and courage to persevere though trials.

Let’s try to encourage one another to keep on keeping on.

Perhaps you are feeling battle-scarred, weary and worn out by life’s challenges.

Too much may be happening at once or long-term struggles can render us weak and discouraged.

If that describes you, my friend, then the poem below is for you.

And my hope and prayer is that you will feel less alone in the fight.

We are surrounded by a host of witnesses that have gone before us.

We are able to rest secure in knowing God sees the bigger picture.

He gives us strength to cope for one more day..and the next… and so on.

Not giving up

Limping and wounded I may be

but I’m not giving up on my destiny

though it’s a war zone, battle, a fight

life is still filled with God’s radiant Light

His word my compass, eternity my goal

hope keeps faith stirred up in my soul

©JoyLenton2013