I'm so pleased you are here.
In this space I want to share coffee for your heart.
Drink in whatever troubles you.
Offer a listening ear and a hand to hold.
Share the things that bless and encourage me.
Be someone you can feel at home with.
So kick off your shoes, pick up your coffee (or tea if you prefer), make yourself comfy and get ready.
We'll share coffee, comfort and encouragement.
Today, I have a letter to write you...
Dear You,
I see the pain you try to hide behind words and smiles, because deep in the windows of your soul you carry a weight of woundedness.
Despite evidence to the contrary, you don't feel truly loved or validated.
Nothing really fills the gaping space where trust, safety and security should be.
It feels easier to erect walls around yourself than allow anyone close admittance to your inner core. Fortifications. Defences. Build them high enough and no mere mortal can scale them.
Until someone reaches out and breaches your defences, and you notice how hedged in you really are.
My friend, this was my life for many years.
I lived scared. Hid the pain. Refused to recognise how I'd closed off my heart.
On the surface we can seem fine, in control, content even. On the inside? When we're on our own? We curl away as foetal-curved commas withdrawing from ourselves and the world around.
There is help. There is hope. We don't have to hide anymore.
God is here. He is ready, willing and able to enter into our pain, help us face the walls; and as we co-labour with Him in their removal..brick by tiny brick...they come down and we are set free.
His unconditional Love ~ is our security.
His sacrifice on the cross ~ the doorway to forgiveness and mercy.
His Spirit within ~ our shelter and safe place.
His grace ~ our enabling and equipping.
His Life ~ becomes as one~ with our life ~ as we open up to Him ~ like a flower to the sun.
These are the encouraging words and thoughts I want you to hear as we start a new year: {and believe me, I need to hear them too}
Absorb the truth of who you are ~ beautiful and beloved.
Know deep in your heart ~ you are safe always.
Hold on ~ to the reassurance that you can be set free.
Feel deeply within ~ you are special, precious to God and loved beyond measure.
Believe ~ you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Fight on ~ whenever the going gets tough. Because God fights for you and will never give up on you.
Listen to His voice. Hear the heartbeat of God soothing your own. Come close to the throne of grace and find mercy in your hour of need.
Healing and wholeness are there for the taking.
Are you ready? I hope so. It may take time. I'm still very much a 'work in progress' in this area as in many, but we all have to start somewhere.
This could be the year you open up your heart to all that God has in store for you.
God's arms of love are reaching out to you, just as we reach out to our own loved ones to hold them safe and close.
I close with today's #smallstone offering {part of the 31 day Mindful Writing Challenge} to bless your heart:
'Arms of love'
"Arms of love encircle me
holding secure and steady
as I finally exhale, release
breathe soft and calm
feeling prepared and ready
to accept and believe
hear and receive
that as beloved arms
encompass round
God's Spirit hovers
without a sound yet
speaking things He wants
to urgently impart
into the very depths
of my insecure heart
saying, "You are safe. You are loved.
You are beautiful. You are enough.
You are free ~ just trust in Me"
©JoyLenton2014
Joining here with Holley and all the other lovely encouragers who want to share 'Coffee for Your Heart'. Do join us next Wednesday for more words of reassurance and encouragement.
Holley has written a lovely encouraging book:''If we could have coffee ~ 30 Days of Heart to Heart Encouragement' that will really help lift the January blues.
And here's a great resource that has aided me in the process of working on removing the walls around my heart and becoming free ~ 'The Wall Around Your Heart' by Mary de Muth.
Also linking with Emily and Jennifer as we seek to write out our #ImperfectProse to #TellHIsStory
Oh Joy, so glad I read this today - it certainly struck a chord. Thank you for this insight and encouragement xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth. Don't you just love it when God puts just the words we need to read/hear right in our path? I'm so pleased this spoke to you and delighted to see you here again! Bless you for encouraging me too :) xx
DeleteSo glad I linked after you today at Holley's "coffee/encouragement" link up. You spill out encouragement here. Thank you so much. The poem is like a declaration of truth. So glad there are no walls around your heart and you found the embrace of Love.
ReplyDeleteHello Dea. It's lovely to meet you! It gladdens my heart that you have found a place of encouragement here. I wish I could say that "there are no walls" around my heart. Sadly, their demolition is still a work in progress, but it helps hugely to have become aware of them. Though I can defintely agree to having "found the embrace of Love" ~ by God's grace. Blessings :) x
DeleteOh, the beauty of these arms of love ... gorgeous. gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed Linda! Their sweet embrace will never fail to move me. Thank you for visiting. Blessed to see you here, friend. :) x
DeleteThis was just perfect...Thanks, Joy, for the encouragement :)
ReplyDeleteDolly, thank you for your lovely encouraging comment to bless my heart! :) x
DeleteI have learned to trust God, finally. But I find it very hard to trust other people. I know it is important so I can share God's love with them but it is so hard.
ReplyDeleteIt can be really hard to open up to others. Once trust has been breached, broken or stolen it feels like it's gone forever. But as God opens us up to the warmth of His love, the gift of His grace and the healing power of His Spirit within, we are gradually enabled to open up more naturally to those around us.Praying that you may know that releasing power in your own life as you keep on trusting God to bring you through. Bless you, friend. x
DeleteThere is so much here today to take in and be encouraged by _ I do so love he picture you chose and the words , its perfect fit for me today and to know we are able to be like that beautiful flower seeking and searching for the sun ( Son) blessed me today
ReplyDeleteHello Maxine. I'm so pleased you stopped by and found a blessing! God is so good in how He speaks to us through words and pictures to heal and bless our souls. :) xx
DeleteThanks so much for linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart, friend! XOXO
ReplyDeleteIt's always a pleasure to share encouragement, Holley. Thanks very much for stopping by to encourage me too! :) xx
DeleteLovely: "Hear the heartbeat of God soothing your own." He has quieted me with His love like this often. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDeb Weaver
Isn't it a beautiful experience, Deb? We are so blessed to have a God who embraces us with arms of acceptance and love. Bless you for visiting and sharing your thoughts, friend. :) x
DeleteYou are in my "Top Ten" Brave girl list...blessed to know you my friend.
ReplyDeleteWho me? This quaking, wavering woman? I am honoured, my friend, but have to say that any courage perceived or revealed is totally God-given. Thank you for blessing me with this lovely thought, Lorretta! :) xx
ReplyDeleteDear beautiful Joy
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that description of the foe tail-curved commas and it is so true. I used to do this permanently when I didn't know Jesus personally, but now I love to open up wide the leaves of my heart to bathe in the Sonlight of God's love and affection!
Blessings XX
Mia
Dear Mia, you so often see your situation through mine. We seem to have much in common in our history! The foetal-cuved comma illustration is now a thing of the past for me too, praise God. He encourages us to uncurl, unfurl, open up to Him as flowers to "the Sonlight of God's love and affection". And the more we bathe in His love and grace, the more we are healed and made whole. Blessings :) xx
DeleteJoy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the beautiful reminder that we do not have to remain hurt. I began to break down my walls a while ago, but once in a while I go back and rebuild a little bit. I quickly try to knock it down with the promises we have from our Father God. Thank you for the encouragement.
Beatriz, those walls rarely get demolished all at once. I do the same thing you do because God's word is powerful and effective against removing strongholds. Holding on to His promises and activating our faith are great steps to take toward wholeness and healing. May you continue to keep on knocking walls down, my friend! :)
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