Singing the blues

Here in the UK we seem to have an endless fascination with the weather.

Which way is the wind blowing? Will or won't it rain? 

Do I need a brolly? Better carry one just in case.

It's a great conversation opener and very much the topic du jour. 

On a day when we've had sheeting rain, clear blue skies and everything in-between it feels apt to be writing on the topic of 'Blue' for today's Five Minute Friday exercise.

START...

Life is threaded through with colour and hues that offer our eyes a different view.

There are so many days that shade neutral pale, indistinct amidst the gloom.

Interminable as sheeting rain cascading down our windowpane.

I find myself blazing angry-red, firing hot with searing heat and temper rays 

or surging strong into orange with surprising energy on better M.E days.

Many are spent in a dark, black tent of pain or grey-fog 

swirls of cognitive loss and discouragement.

The days I lean toward, the ones I prefer above all other are the royal purple patterned,

the sunny yellows and the glades of green, the calm of blue seen in heaven's canopy.

Aaahh, blue...

Blue is a bold rise of turquoise, a soft scene of aquamarine, a steal

of teal, a crisp, bright bolt of cobalt or a mellow azure light.

Blue means rest, coming apart to be a part of the calm of God's heart.

Blue means sweet soul-ease, still pools of peace to dip fretful toes into.

Blue signals less stress, less worry and hurry, expansive skies and less heart-sad cries.

Blue is contentment of warm sunny spells and a daily cloud-gift of God saying all is well.

Blue is indigo deep, mystical and magical as night softly creeps.

I won't let myself sink into 'the blues' today but appreciate

the nuances at play in the varied hues as they come my way.

STOP.

Well that was fun! It's good to write something less deep for a change.

Do stop by at Kate's place and check out the what other writers have to say about 'blue'. Who knows, you may be tempted to join in too.

An open door

May sounds like a portent, a promise, potential and permission given.

There's a beckoning, an urging and an invitation. New life is burgeoning.

The question is:Are we listening, and how will we respond?

As we enter this new month I'm reflecting on some timely words God gave me last night:

"Resist revisiting the past or feeling fearful about the future. All you have is Now. This moment matters.

There is grace for today; you cannot borrow from tomorrow. Rest secure in sensing My Presence at work right where you are"

These shape my response to the word 'door' for today's foray into five-minute-friday writing.

START:

Change alarms me, even as I crave alteration in my circumstances.

Somehow, a deep sense of loss hovers close and a sentimental clinging tight leaves me with closed hands and mind.

Just last week, I finally relinquished a seedy settee to make way for a supportive, comfy chair (with built-in massage facility, no less), and it was a big deal for me.

It was bought on-line, unseen, untested, untried, and still hasn't arrived... gulp!

The new chair will (hopefully!) bring some needful pain relief and yet.. I was so used to the old and I felt sad to lose it. 

Memories were written into every sinking crease and sag.

I'm reluctant to let go, although I have to. Life moves in circles and cycles. 

Without the letting go we are not free to embrace the new, next and better thing God has planned.

A door of opportunity stands open, always ajar, an invitation of grace.

And yet.. sometimes we cower with fear at the challenge it presents.

Maybe God is asking us to make room, make way for Him today ~ in life, in thought and heart.

Because He continually knocks at the door of our heart with wildly unceasing patience.

Waiting to be allowed in. Seeking to invade each space.

He alone knows what lies ahead and how He desires to bless us with His best.

He alone sees the end from the beginning, gives new birth, new life, new hope.

Will you join me, friends?

Will you say yes to Him today?

Open that door a crack and see His love flood in.

Be washed by waves of grace and mercy.

Because living with open mind, hands and heart is the best way for us, no matter how painful it can often be to open the door to the new.

STOP.

Awakening to potential

A quivering occurs deep in our souls. An inviting ripple on the waters, an opportunity to stretch our wings and fly free.

This one won't go away. It resurfaces when we least expect it.

Our lives are about to change and we run scared instead of running toward it with open arms.

Not all of us can greet change with cheer, or equanimity at least.

It feels unsettling, ground shifting, mould-breaking, day-defining and life-liberating all at once.

It calls for a new challenge, a new level we feel unprepared for.

So we quake. Even if we know those soft spoken sounds are Holy Spirit sighs.

I'm in a time of transition, waiting to walk into a more spacious place emotionally and spiritually. It requires recognition of what's being said, and response to all God is currently asking of me.

And, truth be told, I. Don't. Feel. Ready. I want to rewind time to one of blissful ignorance.

Those urgings are calling me out of a place of seeming safety, a place where I was bound but couldn't see it, and leading me into the Light, into Truth, into freedom, into God's presence and rest.

The slumbering season is over. Our souls need to wake up to the potential all around. When God is speaking, we do well to listen.

He gentles us forward saying this isn't all or nothing, impetuous crash and burn; this is a slow growth in the right direction as I lead and guide you. This is a warming to My words, an inner alertness to My voice, a gradual unfolding of My plans for you. Trust Me to keep you, to hold you safe throughout.

Maybe you're in this unsettling place too? 

Hearing and trying not to heed it?

We can be deep-bone weary from all types of pain, yet strangely wary and reluctant to move away from its suffocating embrace if it means treading into new territory.

Because what we know, what we are familiar with feels like home to us, however dark it may be in reality. Our pain is our pain. We live and move and have our being in it, don't we?

Actually no. We live and move and have our being in God. He is our Strength, our Hope, our Deliverer and Healer. 

Healing frequently comes in stages, by degrees, by unloosening, yielding and surrender rather than by sudden illumination and ability to receive it.

I've had God close some powerful doors in my life recently, doors which I'd inadvertently opened to the enemy when I was younger in years and understanding.

Once he has been denied access to areas he has tormented us in for years, the enemy will do everything in his power to try and regain that territory.

Doubt, fear and unbelief insinuate a way in, wrapping their tentacles around our souls. We need to guard our hearts, wear the full armour of God and be vigilant.

We have a spiritual battle on our hands and a continual need to reaffirm our new position, make declarations of faith from God's Word and sow seeds of positivity into areas that were always negative before.

Yes, we rest secure on the promises of God, but we also have our part to play in holding on to our healing and deliverance.

It's hard work but it will be so worthwhile to see results, to be prepared for The Next Big Thing God wants to do in your life and mine.

Some days I feel scared of transition and transformation. When we've believed lies for years, then our minds have to slowly become renewed by the Word and our hearts grow strong in faith.

Here's a prayer for all who are where I am now, or sense they soon will be. Let's begin to embrace hope, embrace the light, and embrace joy in knowing we are already victorious in Christ.

Plumbing the depths

Just a few simple words. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sometimes, that's all it takes to make or mar a day. A drop here and there.

When words rise to our pool of consciousness and hover a while close to the surface, it is well worth asking God if these are ones He wants us to pay particular attention to.

Although God mainly speaks through Scripture, He also invites us gently to notice our lives, heed the world's sounds, and hear Him in the everyday, e.g via books, blogs, poetry, music, films and the spoken word.

These had a life of their own, shimmering with vibrancy like ripples in a pond spreading wide to touch others.

My breath caught as they reached to my core. Here were words to confirm the 'word' I'd received for 2015 and set me thinking soul-deep.

They came from a new book, 'Centering Prayers:A One Year Daily Companion for Going Deeper into the Love of God' by Peter Traben Haas.

These words (underlined) were part of a contemplation:"I begin the year with the simplicity of silence. Resting in you, I become myself again" which were simple but profound, with echoes of eternity in them.

As I pondered their significance, I reflected how my early life experience had already revealed the world to be a place where I invariably felt lost, drowning under the weight of expectations and pressures, splintered and fractured, fragile and out of sync.

To have a chance of becoming and feeling whole (and safe) again, I needed to connect to God. And I feel so blessed He called me to faith as a late teenager so I could spend all my adult life getting to know Him. 

Because, not only do we find God the Father in relationship with Jesus, we also find our true selves.

Become more fully human and fully alive than ever before.

Become more truly who God created us to be, beautiful in Him.

Function more freely with the flexibility of grace.

Fulfil God's greater plans and purposes for our lives as we co-labour with Him.

Discover our full potential.

Embrace our new identity In Christ.

Waken to our worth as God's beloved child.

See ourselves, via eyes of faith, as already healed, restored, beloved and forgiven.

Rest in the knowledge of being united with The One who knows us inside out and loves us just the same ~ even as He's transforming us from the inside out.

In some inexplicable way we grow to become more like Jesus as we learn to live and abide in Him on a daily basis.

Yet, amazingly, we also become more of ourselves, more true to the essence of God's intended blueprint for us.

All this from one line or two, just a few words? Yes, indeed. Words have power to change a life.

And I wouldn't mind guessing that I have only touched on a small fraction of what it means to "become myself again" as I rest in Him. 

Many words have been inspiring my soul lately as God has been speaking to me, and I'm sitting with them for a while before sharing, letting them rest in me and do their work.

Because I have all year (a lifetime?) to plumb the depths, to mine for treasure and discover the riches of resting in God.

And you, dear reader, can learn along with me as we share the journey of faith together.

Linking here with Bonnie, Jennifer and friends

Over to you:

What words have greatly impacted your life recently?
How hard do you find it to see yourself as God sees you?

Please feel free to join in with the comments below. I really appreciate your input. Your words matter. Thank you.

The best motivation of all

My heart leaps at the sight of him. 

He turns at the sound of my voice, eyes lighting up as recognition dawns.

Then he scampers toward me on all fours, a big beaming grin on his face.

One tiny hand after another planted on my legs as he totters successfully to his feet.

Throwing caution to the winds, (and abandoning the support of my walking stick) I stoop and scoop him to me.

We haven't seen one another in the flesh for almost a month, so we slowly become reacquainted again. 

I hold him close, marvelling at my grandson's warm weightiness and the beautiful feel of him, just as I did when he was only a few days old.

Yes, it would have been safer for me to have sat and waited while a parent passed him to me but I was impatient to cuddle him straight away.

We play together for a while and I am child again in his company.

Forgetting my limitations, pressing past the pain, I revel in the freedom of being here with the little boy who lights up my life.

I could have been more cautious, exercised some common-sense.

I could have thought more about the effects on my body of bending low and lifting his small frame.

I could have decided I was too unfit, too sore, too stiff to engage in lifting, never mind play.

But I didn't.

Admittedly, I can't do crawling races and chases like daddy or grandpa can, nor can I run or walk swift to keep apace with him like others will do.

I am the grandma who mostly sits, slides gradual and careful to the floor, the one who bends M.E and arthritic-stiff legs slowly sideways before they protest too much.

I can still stack cups, build brick towers, shake rattles and soft toys, play peek-a-boo and feed him his meals.

I will be the one who reads stories, sings nursery rhymes, does puzzles and plays the slower games.

I may be the one who gives him wheelchair rides instead of pushchair ones. Who knows?

And much as I treasure each moment and opportunity to be with him, there is always a degree of payback afterwards.

For each extra exertion comes a fresh wave of pain and fatigue, maybe unnoticed at the time (such is my focus on the moment) but relentless soon afterwards.

It can take many days to recover from pushing myself too much. Often weeks.

Though it all pales into insignificance besides the opportunity to be with my family, share time, show love.

Because in the end, love is the best and strongest motivation of all.

It changes us as we give out to others. We willingly leave our comfort zones, embrace new things, extend ourselves beyond our previous capacities.

The heart of the matter is always a matter of the heart. 

As God's love gradually thaws, restores, envelops and invades our hearts, we become open to the possibility of transformation and change.

The real, open-eyed aware, deep sacrificial, complete, unconditional, totally giving love of God helps set us free from ourselves.

It helps us grow into faith and maturity, to be sacrificial, show compassion, give generously of ourselves, our time and resources.

"We love because He first loved us" ~ 1 John 4:19

Our human way of love, wonderful as it can be, is but a poor imitation and reflection of God's love.

This is what we are aiming for as we grow more into Christ-likeness:

"Love never gives up. 
Love cares for others more than self. 
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. 
Love doesn't strut, 
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep a score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of the truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end." (1 Corinthians 13:3-13 ~ The Message)

I'm a long way off loving like this but I have a deep appreciation for the love which God has already implanted in my heart, which keeps increasing as I grow in faith and understanding.

We are born to love God and to love others. To live unselfish lives.

And what stronger motivation do we need than seeing how much God loves us and desires to be in relationship with us?

It starts with the heart

How are things with you? I hope your week has gone well.

I've been dabbling in the mire and a behaving like a bit of an imp lately. 

Impatient. Impetuous. Impolite. You get the picture.

All mixed in with a heavy dose of frustration and irritability.

And worst of all? I've acted and reacted like this with my nearest and dearest.

My beloved has borne the brunt of my bad behaviour.

He quells me with his calm, stills me with his silence, and floors me with his ready forgiveness, faithfulness and love.

His generosity and grace make me want to amend my ways ~ quick-smart.

Anyone who thinks becoming sixty confers serene sainthood on one is sadly mistaken.

Having silver hair is no indicator of sagacity, nor senility for that matter.

Sadly, sin and shameful ways are the default mode of the human race.

We all need saving from ourselves.

Sure, we can all act good sometimes, with an alarming tendency to magnify our virtues and minimise our flaws.

And we do all that as we also turn our attention upon the perceived faults and failings of others with pin-point accuracy and accusation.

What happened to me this week? I left a door open for the enemy.

I allowed myself to become over-stretched, over-tired and overwhelmed. A sure-fire way to get stressed and upset.

That's all the invitation he needs. 

Your triggers may be very different but they need to be paid attention to. 

All areas of personal weakness require guarding by vigilance and prayer.

Is there a remedy? Oh, yes!

God has already provided all the mercy, forgiveness, restoration and renewal we need to change our behaviour.

It starts with the heart. The heart of God the Father in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and suffer on the cross in our place.

It starts with seeing how vulnerable and needy we really are.

It continues with daily dependence on His grace, with surrender, and a willingness to live the way He desires us to.

We lean and learn; we sow and grow; we believe and receive, we give and live as a new creation in Christ.

So how are my 'imps' doing?

They're looking a little subdued, a little less sure of themselves and a little less powerful than they were.

Further confession... when I began this '31 days of writing brave and free' exercise I envisaged gentle, Holy Spirit-prompted sharing of insights, prayers and poignant spiritual moments.

The reality? What I've been given so far is imperfect poetry and prose, a heavy dose of humility, a deeper heart-to-heart opening up and a greater revelation of my need of God. Who knew?

Heavenly Father,
May my confession strike a chord with someone. Use these words to help them see their need of you, to realise that there is no perfect Christian or easy walk of faith. Reassure them that they are far from alone with their struggles. Speak to their heart and mind to bring about the transformation they require and long for. Please open their eyes to your goodness and grace, mercy and forgiveness, and grant them the hope of seeing change as they surrender to your will and ways.
Amen

Dying to live

Sap remains in the vine. Life signs are present. Colour and vitality depleted but not gone for good.

As I muse on the waning of plants and summer flowers, the colours of russet and gold midst green-leaved trees, I see myself mirrored in them.

I'm in an autumnal season. Time to let loose, let fall all that is withered and dead within me. 

Prepare for the loosing, shedding, pruning, the dying-back of Winter and its attendant frosts and chills before Spring comes again.

Time to embrace grace, make space for new life to spring up in the place of signs of death.

I'm a walking-wounded one, with a desire to die to those things that are no longer fruitful. And to take hold of all that nurtures, enlivens, and breathes fresh hope into my soul.

So what does it look like? Something like this..

Writing brave, bold and free, but only as God suggests and directs.

Listening with greater intent to His voice, His word, His plans and purposes, my life and body ~ and heed what they're all saying to me.

Dying to selfish ambition.  

Dying to people-approval.

Dying to perfectionism.

(Yes, I know, they will take some time to fade away, never mind die! )

Living to please God first and foremost.

Living in a way that reveals Jesus in me.

Living the best I can with all my flaws, human limitations and imperfections, while God is slowly transforming me from the inside out from one degree of glory to another.

Staying connected to The Vine.

Staying receptive to God's voice.

Staying open to the possibility of change beyond anything I dare to ask, think or imagine.

Trusting that I am enough because Jesus is enough and He lives in and through me.

Trusting that words will flow as they need to from a surrendered mind and heart.

Trusting God to work in and through the works of my hands and bless others in the process.

Letting go of yesterday so that I am ready for the Now and the Still to Come.

Letting these words speak for themselves, just as they are, no overly zealous editing.

Welcoming in a new season of the soul, warming myself in His gaze, being refreshed in His Presence.

And why do all this?

To quote contemplative monk, Bob Holmes in his insightful post, 'Putting the Spirit back into Spiritual Practice':

"We die to ourselves to make it possible to put our spirit first."

For, unless this frail flesh falls to the ground and dies to itself (its own selfish ambition, ways of understanding and living), we will have no seed to sow or harvest to come. It is only as we look to the Lord to give us light, sustenance and daily watering with His word that we begin to come alive on the inside.

Then, as new plants, we can grow tall and strong by His grace. Our leaning on and learning from Him are the means to a changed soul from the inside out.

Will you join me? I hope so. Companions are essential on this journey. Together we are stronger.

Let's keep offering up our lives as a sacrifice of praise to the One who gives us daily breath and grace Here, Now, Today, Always.

Instead of living to die, we could try dying to live ~ more fully and freely than we ever imagined in this life and beyond.

Linking here with Beth and other lovely writer friends for #threewordwednesday  as we seek to encourage you in your journey of life and faith.

You are very welcome and warmly invited to join in.

Grit and grace

Ageing well requires grit and grace.

Plenty of perseverance and endurance. 

It is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

A significant birthday looms large on the horizon. 

Yes, this blog is nearly two years old and its sister blog (Poetry Joy) is almost one, which is good reason to celebrate!

But it's their writer who is approaching a more important landmark.

A stop-gap pause in life's breezy proceedings.

Will I embrace or hold back? Accept the (mostly unwelcome) change that growing older brings?

Will this silver-surfer slide inexorably into senility or will I grow more in insight, wisdom and creativity?

Only time will tell. I hope the years will be kind. 

And I hope to embrace the hard parts as they help shape and make me.

Here's the thing, not all change is welcome, invited or appreciated.

Though I will still aim to:

• Pour out my heart in poetry and prose and share His story in the process. 
• Lean hard into grace every day.
• Walk the painful path of dying to self and living for Christ.
• Crave God's Presence.
• Listen for His voice.
• Dive deeper into healing as I dip back into my painful past.
• Encourage others on the journey.

So I may alter a little on the surface, but deep inside ~ at the heart of the matter ~  I will grow into joy and become more fully myself as I allow God to make me more like Christ.

Change lies on the doorstep of each day. It hangs heavy for some and signals freedom for others.

Are you ready for all it may bring? 

Much depends on what or who is changing you, where you are heading to, and who walks with you.

"..you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried you since your birth. Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you" ~ Isaiah 46:3-4

Just for a change, I am joining in here instead of on poetryjoy.com  (because the usual poetic offering gave way to prose) with  Kate Motaung and other brave writer friends for five minutes of free writing on the topic of 'Change'. 

*And if you like my poetry you can read one about change here.*

Friend, may you see each new day as opportunity to grow and to live, learn and listen in your walk with God. And may He bless you with peace as you leap by faith into the unknown territory of the now and the yet-to-come. For we travel with Him into a future rich with promise and blessings as yet unseen but full of grace and glory.

Tasting normality

Today, I pick and eat fresh home-grown strawberries, collect a few dwarf green beans, dig nails into soil, bend knees, stoop low to ground to tug dead leaves off living green.

And despite the debilitating stiffness and pain pervading my body as it resists these exertions, it feels right and good to be alive, sitting close to earth with its juice running down my chin. 

Lounging in the garden, book propped open, birds chirruping and insects buzzing. Senses alert to loveliness surrounding me, scents assailing with their sweet freshness.

I breathe deep and easy, relaxed in sun's inviting warmth, a soft breeze playing with my hair, no worries, no cares.

Noises sound from afar as children raise voices and adults admonish and comfort in turn.

Resting, yet strangely more alive and alert inside than I've felt for a long while, it seems like holy ground as I touch base, touch reality, touch the healing hem of His garment spread to ground, and revel in sights and sounds to soothe the soul. 

Lift my eyes, tilt face and enjoy a gift of grace.

Here is normality I crave with all the yearning of an addict desperate for their next fix. An afternoon where I am well enough to spend a few minutes outside and pretend that this is what I usually do, when the reality is very different.

Much of my life is lived behind closed doors, housebound, confined and constrained, circumscribed with pain.

In listening to my life there is a continual background refrain, a hissed whisper of pressure to perform, to be as 'busy' as continual low energy and profound fatigue will allow, to be 'out there', to be seen and heard.

People approval issues still haunt my days with all their persuasive ways, but I am resisting it all....for now.

I'm just too exhausted to expend precious energy in that direction. Too weary to worry and so much in need of a rest that I can resist the call to action.

My mind is on a break from listening to those messages and it's taking a vacation to soak in grace, become revived and restored by God's peace, listen more deeply to His voice.

There is an increased desire in hot, sultry weather to seek leisure and a change from the norm. Our bodies and souls crave it and we desperately need a slowing down of pace.

Normality is subjective and will vary greatly for each one of us, depending on age, occupation, situation, health and routine.

Now, as I come to the end of my break I am seeing a shift change.

My new normality is starting to shape itself like this:

• Making a gradual return to social media/blogging and resisting the lure of joining in everything all at once.
• Viewing daytime rest/naps/sleep as sacrosanct, a vital and healing necessity rather than a waste of precious time.
• Pacing, pacing and more pacing, because boring as it is it's preferable to the 'rush/crash/burn/collapse' cycle I was in before.
• Saving valuable energy and 'spoons' to spend on engaging with family, friends and the outside world.
• Seeking more sacred pauses and spiritual whitespace in the everyday.
• Having a weekly social media sabbatical/fast in order to unplug from the virtual and touch base more with the actual.
• Praying continually so that conversation with God becomes as natural as breathing.
• Listening more attentively to my body, my life, Holy Spirit's voice.
• Delving deeper into God's word, good books and uplifting music to soothe my soul.

I hope some of this has struck a chord with you too.

Maybe God is calling you to press pause on the busyness that swamps you?

Maybe it's time to re-evaluate how your precious time is spent?

Maybe our heavenly Father simply yearns for you to lavish attention on Him or to be more available for Him to pour out His Presence on you?

Maybe this is an opportunity to celebrate how God pre-approves of you just as you are, with no worries over performance or people-pleasing? 

This summer may be just the right time to rest, reach out, touch His greater reality and taste how sweet it is. 

*******

I would love to hear from you, so feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. 

And I could really do with an 'accountability partner' or two to keep me on the new straight and narrow. Any offers? All gratefully accepted!

**Note** ~ It's great to be back to blogging, but I apologise for the rather bitty nature of this post. It was written in snippets as energy and inspiration allowed.Thank you for your grace.. :)

A prayer for those who are in waiting

One of the hardest things we have to do in life is to wait for things.

As an instant gratification society, waiting seems anachronistic and decidedly unwelcome. 

Shouldn't everything happen straightaway at the push of a button? Not necessarily. The best things in life are worth waiting for.

Waiting on God is challenging. We know He is always busy behind the scenes with bringing His plans for our lives to fruition.

Only, it can all take so long. We wonder if we've been forgotten about.

Our hearts grow weary. Our hope withers and dies. Our faith feels misplaced.

Answers to prayer can be especially hard to hold on for. I've waited for healing (amongst other things) for many years.

My friend, you are far from alone. I know how it feels. And, more importantly, so does God.

He sees, hears, understands and is ready and able to come alongside us in our questioning.

His wisdom and discernment help us to judge when time is ripe to move ahead. So, let's consider our position:

If...you have been sitting in the same place so long you've grown roots

If...you feel left out, neglected, overlooked, alone

If...seasons come and go and yours has never come

If...others are receiving all the breaks, the kudos, the applause

Then this prayer may be for you...

'A Prayer for those in waiting'

Father,

We sit as dormant seeds, 
bulbs brown-ugly 
bursting with promise

of life, beauty, energy, growth, 
sweet fragrance stirring to be released,

buried ~ deep darkness surrounding within, without

in soil that hangs heavy, clinging and clogging,

choking us when we try to rise above it.

Surely we were planted 
with a hope of seeing Spring,

with life and potential welling up within,

with goodness seeking to be expressed

with Your hands guiding us in place
and selecting only best?

If that is so, how can we still be waiting

for our moment to arrive,

for life to erupt from what is sealed,

for transformation and change

for Your glory to be revealed?

We watch, curious, with envy half-concealed 

as neighbouring plants grow green, 

shooting strong and true, 

their foliage shades our light

their colours vivid we can see

and we wonder what on earth 

You have created us to be.

Tangled up in troubles for today 
and shackled by worries for tomorrow, 
muddied by a morass of mishaps
sullied by sickness and sorrow, 
discouraged by dis-ease of every kind
our lives feel barren and fruitless,
our hearts weary and resigned.

Until You call and we bend an ear
to a Voice we long to hear,
the balm for every doubt
the solace for every fear.
This is no accident, my child,
your roots dig deep to draw from wells
of Grace and Love, of Faith and Trust.

If all were easy would it mean so much?
If all were simple would you wait on Me?
If all were quick would you tarry here?
If all was show and substance
would you hang around?
I plant you where in due time I choose
you'll have no thorny ground.

I plant you so that come The Day
you will reflect My Light
your colours will glow bright
working through the soil of pain
pushing up to make a mark 
and bring glory to My Name.

For My best work is done in darkness
slow, but sure and strong.
So don't give up 
and don't despair 
if it all takes so long, 
for I don't give up on you
~ rising strong and true.

©JoyLenton2014

"I am still confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord' be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" ~ Psalm 27:13-14 

**Confession** ~ This poetic prayer sat dormant in draft form waiting for such a time as this. I had so many areas of life I could have written about for:"You are not alone" {living with M.E and chronic illness, being housebound, overcoming abuse and depression etc.} but God reminded me of this entry and the fact that so many of His beloved children grow weary in waiting to see change.

My hope and prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged in the reading of it.

And know that you are definitely not alone in whatever you may be going through. 

Joining here with Holley, Michelle, and Jennifer