Twilight whispers, invites us into silence, speaks softly of things beyond our ken. It suggests a thin place in Celtic mythology, where heaven appears to be touching earth, a time when time itself seems to stand still, heralding an opening between this world and the next.

During twilight, day hasn’t quite yielded to warmer shades of sunset. This is a subtler moment to still our souls, pause and ponder as we await night’s stealthy presence. Twilight isn’t signalling a full stop to daylight so much as inviting us to stop for a while. It’s a moment of holy transcendence, an awareness of deeper things.

I always want the light to linger longer. Maybe it’s an inner yearning mirroring a soul’s desire for God. Perhaps it’s a way of seeking to acknowledge His immanence with us, while allowing room for the mysterious otherness which twilight brings.

Thin Veil

Twilight whispers soft secrets

It is the poet’s pondering

hour, where thin veil conceals

Mystery and showers us

with sweet incense from above

A breathed out benediction

reveals God’s unfading love

©JoyLenton2016

Our joy can appear to dissipate like autumnal mists, lost in the ether. How do we hold on to such a precious gift, grace and Holy Spirit-given fruit? Maybe we need to see how joy is always replenished in God’s presence, while we hold onto the Holy in our daily and make space for Mystery.

 

Our heartfelt praise and gratitude can bring  a glow of joy to our heavenly Father’s heart as well as helping to oil and enhance our own. We can increase our ability to sense heaven’s presence by paying closer attention to those things which speak out God’s nearness with us, maybe by trying some of the suggestions below…

10 ways to sense the heavenly

• take a walk and talk with God
• admire the beauty of creation
• take a photograph
• sing songs of praise
• light a candle and meditate
• write a poem or gratitude list
• draw or paint a picture
• spend quality time with loved ones
• sit, breathe and rest in His presence
• contemplate, listen and pray

I close with some insightful thoughts from a dear friend of mine in response to following this series:

“How neglected joy is in comparison with the other fruits of the Spirit! It seems to me that we strive for love, hope, mercy, compassion far more than joy… Could it be that joy is the natural by-product of all fruits developed and given because of an intimate communion with Christ and love for God?” ~ Yolanda Green

Her words confirm to me the importance of journeying into joy, its deep significance to us as Christ followers who seek to emulate and reveal His character in all we say, think and do.

Welcome to #day30 of #31days of journeying into joy! Our time together is almost at an end.

It’s been a blessing and a joy to share these thoughts with you. Please join me tomorrow for the final post in this series.