#light

Embrace the light that exists

/ Joy Lenton / 14 Comments

Pulverising politics. Scary news reports. Media outlashes. Lies and misinformation. Fights and wars. So much darkness exists that it’s no wonder we feel as if we’re saturated in it. 

Yet there is hope. Light spills. It spills freely from the heavens. Light spills from our hearts and lips whenever we stand up for Truth.

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Light spills when we speak out against the darkness and have faith in something else, something that overcomes. Something full of eternal Light, incandescent, dazzlingly bright. 

Someone so full of compassion and love. A sacred Someone who came down to earth to reveal God’s mercy and grace to us: Jesus, our Light-Bringer and Saviour.

“Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.” — John 1:4-5 TLB

Light spills


sun moves
it circles from east to west
morning dawn
seeks out the grey hollows
bathes them in a warm glow

light spills
makes soft hills and valleys
hollow dips
briefly shades these objects 
where shadows fall and eclipse

shade calls
draws attention to shapes
to space
marks interest within
places sun is inhabiting

my eyes
become attracted to light
shine threads
serve to draw us together 
to savour brightness, colour

I'm made
for zest and vibrancy
for light
for reaching beyond this earth
for dreams and hope and love
© joylenton


We are created to be a light for others, our hurt, wounded and lost sisters and brothers, and to help them see beyond the darkness.

We can be a light for others by offering hope, support, understanding, compassion and kindness and showing them mercy, love and forgiveness.

The older we get, the more aware we become of the darkness of this world and the fierce battle that rages between good and evil. 

We can choose to embrace the light and live a radiant life in Christ despite all the darkness there is, because His light and hope still exist and will prevail over our dark circumstances.

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” — St. Francis of Assisi

dawn: the emergence of light gives us hope

/ Joy Lenton / 4 Comments 

Splash of glory

Sunlight laps at the edges
of fading night,
lifts its concealing cloak

by slow increments 
as dawn begins to break
and a sleepy world awakes.

Petals unfurl themselves 
to welcome sun,
spread wide their fragrant arms

like a benediction 
quivering in the breeze
as they bless who they please.

Birds announce their presence—
morning chorus 
resounds into skeined sky

as orchestrated 
hymns of grateful praise
rise, fill the airways.

It’s new every morning,
old as the hills,
this bright splash of glory

freely fills and spills,
lifts our hearts heavenward
in reverence and awe.
© joylenton

Dawn blessing

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of creation,
the dawn of sentience,
the dawn of creatures
great and small,
the dawn of gardens and plants,
of flowers and waterfalls.

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of mankind,
the dawn of hope
to encourage our hearts,
the dawn of new life,
the dawn of embracing it
with joy, wonder, and love.

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of invention,
the dawn of innovation
through the centuries,
the dawn of creativity,
the dawn of great ideas,
of light igniting for you and me.

— joylenton

light: an invitation to let the light in

/ Joy Lenton / 8 Comments

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and colour are their last days.” — John Burroughs

Let the light in

I see light 
as evidence of God's 
presence, tangible

awareness revealing
his liquid, golden grace, 
with a mindful 

contemplation on his 
will and ways, because 
light filters most
 
through a receptive 
host. Maybe I can learn to
be a willing

vehicle, a silent subject 
to receive, then I can
achieve a place 

of calm within,
where light and love 
and joy reside

and hope rests 
quiet. It chirps, a softly singing
bird, sitting still 

as still can be, yet
gently fluttering its hopeful,
delicate wings.
© joylenton

“And that afternoon, as the sun slanted low through the changing autumn leaves, I remembered to savor the moment, soak in the beauty, breathe deeply and feel the immensity of God.” — Cindee Snider Re

waiting: the holy work of Advent and beyond

/ Joy Lenton / 7 Comments

“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

Waiting 

 sunlight weakens
 colour fades as mists descend
 December's here
 wrapping us in thick fogginess
 hunker down, it's nearly Christmas

 days slide by
 in a rush toward the night
 our souls moan and sigh
 darkness outside increases
 the onward march is ceaseless

 we become hungry
 for hope, for warmth, for light
 a safe place to abide
 while our souls grow accustomed
 to the season we are in

 clothed with silhouettes
 the trees stand sentinel-bare
 like bereft soldiers
 guarding the fort of their thoughts
 waiting for spring's reward

 maybe you and I
 can keep the vigil with them
 our hearts tuned to spring
 as wintry winds whistle hard
 let's remain patient and calm
 © joylenton

“This is the most precious answer God can give us: wait. It makes us cling to him rather than to an outcome. God knows what I need; I do not. He sees the future; I cannot. His perspective is eternal; mine is not. He will give me what is best for me when it is best for me.” ― Vaneetha Rendall Risner, The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering

Friends, you’ve been waiting several weeks to see when I might return to writing in this space. Thank you for your patience! I’m so glad to be back. We seem to spend much of our lives waiting for this and that, don’t we? The season of Advent highlights how to wait with intention, with purpose, with hope and expectation in our hearts.

May we begin it with such anticipation. And may we aim to listen harder for God’s soft footsteps in our hearts. He longs to draw near to us and whisper His wisdom to our receptive souls but so often we become weary in the waiting and slow to respond. Let’s ask God to increase our ability to stay, to be open, to wait, and to receive. Because Jesus, our Light-bringer is well worth waiting for.