These strange times we are in call for an eventual release, don’t they? Getting back to the world of school and work, perhaps. Returning to our usual activities in a new normality we’re still uncertain about.
I’ve been thinking about life’s many moments of small release, adjusting to our losses, a necessary moving on and moving forward, including the great letting go we will all experience one day.
When the time comes
When the time comes, let it go,
learn to release each care,
each sorrow like so much
wheat chaff blowing in the wind,
being carried who knows where
or who knows when.
Do not cling too tightly to life
as if it were all you had
because a greater life, a better
love, a softer peace exists,
waiting beyond the blue
with its arms open for you.
Seek to live as truly, fully
and freely as you can,
while you stay mindful
of its transitory state,
of its preciousness,
its wonder, colour and grace.
Learn to love the sacred
ordinariness each day offers
you like a gift,
holding it close but not too
close, knowing it will end
swift as sun sinks vermilion
and a curtain of dark descends.
When the time comes
try to be prepared, ready
to release, as you thank
each gift, each person, each thing
that has meant something
for being part of your life.
Before it happens,
make sure that you get
to notice it all,
everything good, bad, indifferent,
because it has helped
to shape and form
the person you have become.
In the early years
you can be forgiven
for your nonchalance
and insouciance, but not
as you gather to your breast
loved ones, special relationships.
Later on, when the dandelion
clock is looking a little
threadbare, pared back,
let yourself reflect
on what has gone, what has
passed to bring you to Now.
As time elapses, seek to hold
lightly to it all,
to anything you value
and all you don’t
because they all count, they all
add up to sand in the hourglass.
So when the time comes
remind yourself of this:
how you have lived,
how you have loved,
and try to forgive yourself
if you think it isn’t enough.
Give yourself grace for being
a flawed human being
who is a delightful mix
of pulled together and mess,
because you’re learning to grow
before you can let go.
Finally, release all your worries,
concerns and stress, let them
tumble off your burdened back
and feel the weight
of your soul’s sheer emptiness.
Our faith journey is a continual process of letting go of our extraneous stuff and holding tight to the hand of God. We release what doesn’t serve us well and receive the best He has in mind for us.
It takes wisdom and courage to let go but we don’t have to do it alone. God’s help is only a breath, a prayer away.Can I pray for you today, my friend? A load shared is a load lifted… ❤
“Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasure to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence.” — Alfred Billings Street
“I arise today through
The strength of heaven:
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendour of fire.
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.”
— Saint Patrick, an excerpt from his Breastplate Prayer
Much evidence exists, anecdotal and otherwise, that spending time in nature is healing for body and soul. Forest bathing is being touted as a good thing, as is gardening, because nature has the ability to lift us out of our daily preoccupations and worries. It’s even been said to help alleviate the symptoms of depression.
Listening to the sounds of nature is also beneficial and freely available to all. Because even in city life there are plants, trees, clouds, birds and sky. Creation continually sings its melody to us, and we hear it if our ears are receptive enough to listen.
And if, like me, you cannot get out into a natural environment as much as you want to, the video below might help you feel like you are there, and possibly relax you as well. Because we could all use an extra bit of stress relief right now… 😊❤️🌿
What if we refused to join in with the grumbles, moans and complaints on the internet and other place during the pandemic, even in our own homes, perhaps? We could choose to keep calm, encourage others, and speak of hope, faith and love in adverse circumstances.
How can we best support our souls during these stressful and strange Covid-19 days?Maybe by enjoying the little things: feed our faith, practise gratitude, aim to savour extra time with our loved ones, rest for our health’s sake, maintain our creativity, and withdraw from information overload and overwhelm.
We can pray for family and friends, health care workers and governments, as well as the world situation in general. Another thing that might help keep us sane, especially if we can’t exercise, is stepping outside now and then for a slow, 30 seconds or more, fresh air inhale/exhale.
Because nature has healing powers. Yes, even if our garden or balcony growing space is a tiny or weed-ridden plot! 🙂 Size doesn’t matter. What counts is seeing living greenery.
Creation’s calming beauty helps soothe our frazzled souls, and opens our hearts to the simple gratitude of being alive. I always appreciate rare days when I can get outside for a while because enjoying the little things counts.
Life in the time of the coronavirus
I hear the flaxen-haired toddler
from two doors away
chattering nineteen to the dozen
as I peg light laundry to line, with sun
warming my arms for the very first time
this year, this spring, in a sudden
burst of seasonal heat.
She is running, running, running
the length of her small garden
and back again, as if her tiny feet
don’t know how to stop
their forward momentum, their racing
along to an inner beat.
We’re meant to be avoiding others
as our country struggles
with the coronavirus and its effects,
and I think we are far enough apart
even though I can just make out
the top of her hurrying head
across our low garden walls.
Her parents smile up at me and speak
in their broken English, nuanced
as it is with a Polish dialect,
while I reply and smile at them
and watch their delightful
little daughter running again.
Such sacred holy ordinary moments
still exist but we have to make
a deliberate effort
Gratitude helps us appreciate all our days, whatever they might bring to us. Because the altitude of our hearts determines the attitude we will have.
If we’re able to live more in the moment, then we can welcome it, whether outwardly good or bad, as we seek to live with our eyes open to the potential it might bring.
You might benefit from these 10 soul care suggestions for maintaining calm. Brother David Stendl-Rast also offers a glimpse of how we can be gratefully mindful for each new day.
What’s helping you feel more like a human being and less like a potential repository for a horribly invasive virus?What’s aiding you to stay calm and keeps you on an even keel in these shaky, uncertain times?Do share below so we can help one another. ❤
Joy is a bit thin on the ground at the moment, isn’t it? So many of us are feeling overwhelmed by individual and collective sadness and grief, with longings for change going unmet and unaddressed.
It’s like the whole world is in a state of mourning and we don’t know how to get through it or where to find joy anymore. Or maybe we do.Perhaps joy is much closer to home than we anticipate.
Indoors with our loved ones, or just outside our window, perhaps, even if we can’t see a great deal because it resembles a concrete jungle. You may be wondering: What kind of joy can those things bring to me?
More than you might think, my friend. Due to decades of being housebound by chronic illness, and suffering episodes of depression, I try to discover any window, any opening to joy I can find.
I seek to focus on my heart’s longing for joy and what encourages it to flourish, which means looking at the simple, small, and often overlooked. And it includes developing a deeper gratitude for my loved ones.
Longings
Window watcher that I am,
let my gaze linger with sacred awe
longer than before,
to truly see each tree
and flower and leaf as portents
of hope and promise.
I want to drain
the last ounce of joy I find
in every day,
drink the cup dry of it,
keep memories as dregs.
I long to hold
the wonder found right here
and right now,
like a fragile butterfly,
let it loose to climb the sky.
I seek to find
the holy ordinary
in people, trees
and leaves, clouds, fiery sunsets,
in everything light reflects.
I desire to dream
with intentionality,
let purpose unfold
like a story I have known,
full of hope beyond this world.
I yearn to touch
earthly things stamped with grace,
The view outside my window is far from scenic, but I do take pleasure in watching sky changing colour, seeing variable shape and type of clouds, noting emergence of greening tips and flowers on plants or observing a solitary tree as its leaves alter with the seasons.
Even a concrete wall can be interesting because it attract insects, has different patterns of stone within it or changes shade, depending on where the light falls and catches it.
Having chronic illness has taught me not to despise the tiny, mundane things of life. Whether in lockdown or not, it helps to appreciate the blessings before us rather than dwell on what we’ve lost.
Your longings are a window into your soul too.What are you longing for, my friend? Where are you experiencing your longings being met in these challenging times? May the joy of the Lord be our strength today, and always.
PS: This post was inspired by Chronic Joy Ministry’s Poetry Prompt: Windows and Trees. Do check out their great resources! 🙂 ❤
We might be tempted to think that there wasn’t too big a shift in the atmosphere and that life went on pretty much as normal for the ordinary citizens who lived at the time of the resurrection of Christ. But what if it didn’t? What if nothing ever felt quite the same afterwards?
Such a cataclysmic event was earth and world shattering in its effects. The news about it spread over the whole known world. The story of the resurrection got shared year after year, retold with wonder, speculation and awe to future generations. And it still is.
Because God’s evident, sacrificial love for us and the hope it brings to human hearts has spread faster than any virus can, multiplying exponentially nation to nation.
It affects everyday people from every stratum in society, turning humdrum lives upside down in the process. The message the resurrection imparts brings us deep rest when all else is unsettled and shaken, including our emotions.
So let’s consider how one ordinary person, just like you and me, might have reacted to the resurrection, to this shift in their expectations and experience, followed by an adjustment to a new normality.
“At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” ― Matthew 27:51-53 NLT
A shift
There’s a shift
where identity used to sit
like an old cardigan,
well-worn, moth-eaten
but familiar
because it became part
of me, what I always wore.
Now I don’t know what fits
me anymore
or suits the woman
I have become
since the earth shook, since Sunday
and a man took
on death to set us free.
Tombs broke open
and people were raised
to life again
like they had never died,
restored to their
loved ones, their families
as if they’d
never left them bereft.
And it is whispered
that this world
is just a stepping stone
to somewhere
better, a place of beauty
God Himself changes not. He is totally dependable and faithful to His Word. His promises can be relied upon. God doesn’t shift like the wind, alter with circumstance or sway from continually pouring out His love, mercy and grace for us.
“‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” ― Isaiah 54:10 NIV
Whatever fears or uncertainties might be shaking your world right now, my friend, remember the unshakeable power of God to rescue and save us. He is the still, calm centre of every storm we encounter, and our souls’ peace, always. In the valley of the shadows, God is with us and fighting for us as the core strength of our hurting hearts.
Give me the Love that leads the way, Faith that nothing can dismay, Hope no disappointments tire, Passion that’ll burn like fire, Let me not sink to be a clod, Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God. ― Amy Carmichael
News alerts and alarms are the hallmarks of our hours. We’re struggling not to drown in discouragement, anxiety, sadness and grief.We’re in the grip of a deadly virus and a state of soul overwhelm. Our flesh is weak. Our hearts quake.
Our minds spiral into worse case scenarios. It’s hard to relax and get a grip when the world feels so out of control, isn’t it? How can we stay stable in this storm?Who can lift us up and keep us safe?Our God can and He will. Nothing is too difficult for Him.
God carries us when we sink low and cannot carry ourselves. He lifts us up when we stumble and fall. He infuses strength into failing bodies and hearts. Let us look to the Lord to lift us up and hold us close, like the loving Father He is, full of compassion and love.
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” ― Isaiah 58: 11 NIV
Being lifted up
Are you feeling crushed,
dear hurting soul?
Do you feel discouraged and sit
with your head bowed low?
Take heart, dear one, for hope
is here and help will come.
Your tears are not unseen
but are caught lovingly.
They are held in the heart
of a compassionate God
who cries, gives grace,
and feels and aches with us.
You, too, are being upheld
by his power and by his love
as he carries you
when you’ve had enough.
When you can’t go on
and feel far from strong,
fear not, my friend, because
this is not the end.
God will comfort you
as only he can, and cradle you
close until you can walk
with confidence again.
All who fall are not despised
but are souls to save, to hold,
heal and make strong once more
in our merciful Father’s eyes.
You will learn to breathe and rise
above your current woes and pain,
while you lean on the One who suffers
alongside us with our wounded feelings.
He opens his hands,
seeking to satisfy your needs,
every good desire of the human
heart is fully met by him.
“The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.” — Psalm 145:14-15 NIV
Friends, in these demanding days, let us acknowledge our weakness and frailty and ask God to carry us when we’re unable to go on without His help. He stands ever willing to lift us up, give us Hope, and fill us with His compassionate love.
Hello Dear Friends, we are living in strange times, aren’t we? Nothing feels as safely familiar as before because we’re all having to adjust to a new “normal” as we adapt to living with the threat of the coronavirus and its worldwide impact for ourselves and our nations.
It’s a new, unstructured way of living we’re not accustomed to, and don’t care to experience for long. We’re having to be imaginative and proactive to help conquer our fears because this virus casts a weighty shadow over everything, especially with alarmist news reports.
So how do we cope when the life we knew before alters by the day?To assist with lessening anxiety, it helps to focus on the positive, and on what we can do rather than what we can’t.These things are helping me: praying, breathing deeply and slowly, meditating, exercising gratitude, resting, and keeping a sense of perspective.
I’m also looking to God as my major means of soul help and support. God’s love is the antidote to fear and the answer to all inner restlessness and dis-ease. It’s the healing balm we need to comfort our sad and sorrowing souls. It’s the anchor of our lives, the compass of Hope our hearts long for.
“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us….There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.” — 1 John 4:18 The Message
God’s love provides the safety valve and soul exhale we need in swirling seas of uncertainty. It’s freely given, available to all, and abundantly nourishing for our souls. God’s love triggers remembrance of His faithfulness to us in the past and His sustaining grace available for us now.
Antidote
As the days segue into sameness
yet feel strangely unfamiliar to us,
can you see, can you believe
that what nourishes and sustains
us, deep in our souls, is holy love?
It is the antidote we seek,
the destroyer of anxiety, fear
and hate, the balm for every
chaotic change, every virus
that eats its way into our hearts.
Love came to earth in the shape
of an infant boy’s messy birth,
crying out for us to see his worth
while we open our arms, our eyes,
our minds and hearts to his love.
It calls us now to pay attention
and to fix our eyes more on its
solution to sin and sickness, to all
dis-ease of the human heart,
rather than allowing fear to build up.
Do let me know how you are managing. I’m praying for all my readers and friends. You might like to check out my timely book Embracing Hope: Soul Food to Help Chase Away the Blues which is free on Kindle today. May God bless you and meet all your needs as He surrounds you with His all-encompassing care, comfort, protection and love. ❤
“Think of the self that God has given as an acorn. It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional. Think of the grand glory of an oak tree. God’s intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree. His intention for us is ‘… the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes. When you look at the oak tree, you don’t feel that the loss’ of the acorn is a very great loss. The more you perceive God’s purpose in your life, the less terrible the losses seem.” ― Elisabeth Elliot
When we feel burdened, weary and depleted in body, mind or spirit, it can produce a kind of dull lethargy inside. Then, as we listen to what it has to say to us, we gradually start to sense a deeper message within our souls.
The loving voice of Holy Spirit speaks louder than our sadness and softer than our shame. God is calling us to pay attention and seek His help and strength. He longs to rescue us and set us back on a more positive pathway again.
Our desire to feel different, better, stronger assumes a greater urgency than our problems and pain. It cannot easily be ignored. We long for resolution and begin by seeking it in the best place we know: In prayer.From listening to our heart’s deepest needs,we turn our souls Christ-ward and lay these burdens at His feet.
Like an oak
let me be
sturdy, strong, unbending
like an oak tree
rooted deep into the earth
facing storms unperturbed
let me sit
as my heart steadily ticks
and take a deep breath
exhale anxiety and fear
with my burdened soul laid bare
let me stay
this painful course I am on
where life shades to grey
may I still emanate
holy hope, grace and strength
let me lean
and sway so I do not break
nor depend on me
but trust in God’s saving love
when I feel inadequate
“To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” – Isaiah 61:3 AMPC – [emphasis added]
You can discover more about the metaphysical meaning of an oak tree here and read about how weakness can coexist with strength here. 🙂 ❤
“By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.” – Thomas Merton
A holy kind of noticing takes place when we view creation’s glory through a lens of faith and grace.Especially the minor things we might have otherwise overlooked. They begin to stand out for us as portents of promise, signs of beauty and praise, and messages of God’s love and grace. Will you pause a while to appreciate this with me?
Sacred waves
Oh the calm, calm waves of sky
reaching out to me in scattered, skeined
arms of pale, muted grey cloud
singing out their love, revealing how
the deepest act of devotion
I might be capable of this day, this moment
maybe, is to simply watch and wonder,
pray, and absorb the gift they bring,
give thanks for my life, this offering.
Because here and now are the most
important moments I exist,
in which to sense a holy invitation
to see, touch and taste, to focus on
the divine aspects, the holy,
wholesome sacredness of this
oh so ordinary, fleeting, minor
moment when God chooses
to remind me of his presence,
and then to stretch out my fingertips,
to say yes, I will look, I will listen,
and I will receive your love and grace.
I will take this offering as a sign
of hope, and I will secure
it fast within my insecure heart,
to take out and examine again
on darker days, when light and joy
seem so very far away,
Poetry Joy 