Life's a beach

Christmas (and compassion?) wrapped away with the decorations.

Baubles, bells and blessings boxed up.

Merry-making turns to risk-taking.

Trying out the new for size.

Away with the glove-comfort fit of the old.

Seize the day, seize the moment, seize the....

Holiday brochures?

Ah, now you're talking.

Could do with a break.

All that socialising, magazine and TV-glossed perfection

that leaves us sickened with self-comparison, wearied by the smugness 

of lives lived out before us - our own paling into insignificance, such paltry offerings

redeemable by escaping these sullied shores

where life and weather drear the soul.

Let's make life a beach - not a bore or a chore

If only life was like this beach:

Easy and leisurely.

Nothing to spoil the view.

No sharp stones or pebbles.

Throw in the company of our loved ones, an endless supply of food and drink and who wouldn't want to be there?

Most of us have: 
At least a ripple or two of irritation going on.

Some stones on the path.

Large rocks looming up to obscure our view.

Some of us may have waves of worries, be drowning in debt, experiencing deserts of difficulties or feeling lost and alone amidst the forests of frustration.

An astute reader may wonder at all the watery references that have slipped into this blog of late.

I have been feeling a bit 'Out of my Depth' recently as I seem to be led to speak about the dark, difficult and painful path of life.

Life can feel overwhelming and far from 'beachy-peachy' for many of us, especially in this season, as we plaster on a smile to hide our heartache.

When it feels like the whole world is intent on rejoicing and celebrating, we can feel:

Out of sync, cast adrift on a raft of misery, depression, loss, grief, sickness - or just plain struggle to keep afloat. 

The title of this post could also be taken to mean 'Life's a bitch' as it's considered to be a kinder way of putting it. That may be an apt description of someone's life right now. Especially when celebrating a new year is the last thing you feel like doing.

Some may be experiencing or remembering literal floods and tsunami. Precious things are lost and life feels very precarious indeed. When life uproots us from our bearings we long for 'Ordinary' again and the reassurance it brings. Bring back familiar. Bring back life as we knew it.

As you read the poem below, please bear in mind these words of reassurance:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you..Since you are honoured and precious in my sight, and because I love you.." ~ Isaiah 43:1- 4 (edited version)

Tsunami

Darkness threatens to engulf me

in its stealthy shadows

as I hit rock-bottom once more -

crying a river of tears,

an unending stream

of desolation and despair

Sinews wrap round like seaweed

refusing to be peeled away

I'm drowning, floundering,

kicking at the shackles

yet they remain like limpets -

imprisoning, suffocating, life-draining

Need to let go of all hopes and dreams,

all the frustrated longings 

of my broken heart..broken life

Slipstream of desires

falling through my fingers

though I cling on tenaciously

I'm out of my depth in this place

as the waves and waters break,

crashing resoundingly on the shore

of Safe Landings

Perhaps I can reach it

if I surrender everything?

A heaving, seething, tumultuous tide of life

has battered and flattened me

Weakly I gasp, head barely afloat,

crushed, exhausted and spent,

resources all gone -

I lay weeping ... at Your feet.

©JoyLenton2012

"The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty" ~ Psalm 93:3-4

These verses remind us Who is in control - God is our Rock, Refuge, Safe Harbour, Shelter and High Tower at all times. He stands firm and holds us. Lyrics below are from 'Like the Angels'©2005ThankyouMusic ~ Brenton Brown

"When I am sinking down, when I am lost at sea
No solace to be found, no ground beneath my feet
I turn to You as I go down, I reach for You through roaring waves
My only hope is in Your arms, my only prayer is that You'd save me.

Cause You make me soar like angels
You let me walk on the water
You let me run with white horses
Jesus, my strength when all is gone
(You are my strength when all is gone)

When I am all alone, no land is in my sight
All others lost from view, and comes the darkening night
I reach for You as I go down, I look to You through roaring waves
My only hope is in Your arms, my only prayer is that You'd save me"

To hear Brenton Brown's song 'Like the Angels' Click on the link. Full lyrics are there too.

This is a period for recognising that not everyone feels safe, encouraged, blessed or hopeful. Jesus came specifically to heal the broken hearted and restore what was lost:

"..the Lord has anointed me to preach good new to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.." ~ Isaiah 61:1

Wherever you are at right now, no matter what you may be going through, remember that God cares, He loves you and desires to protect and keep you safe through all the storms of life. All He asks is that you turn to Him and rest in His loving embrace so that He can hold you close and give you all you need to live as an Overcomer. Then you will be able to echo the words of the psalmist:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust" ~ Psalm 91:1-2

"When I said, "My foot is slipping", your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." ~ Psalm 94:18-19 

Pause to ponder:

As we begin this New Year,will you allow the tides of life to sweep you up and leave you bruised and battered?

Maybe hide the pain - try to ignore it in some way?

Or will you seek help,support,and the hope and strength that only God can give us?

I'd love you to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Top Ten Posts in 2012

A very Happy New Year to you all!

Dear Readers/Friends,

It has been an honour and privilege to share my heart and life with you in 2012. 

Here are the Top Ten posts that have been most popular, so you can enjoy them again or maybe read for the first time if you are new here:

1 )The Age of Conversation

2) How does your garden grow?

3) Run out of steam?

4) Because you're worth it

5) Taking a leap of faith

6) Broken hearts...broken lives

7) Out of my depth

8) Grace Notes:An Introduction

9) Becoming

10) Moving on

The title of the last post listed here reminds us of the sands of time that are forever moving inexorably on. We cannot fight it. But we can embrace the new in order to make way for progress, change, renewal and restoration in the year ahead. 

I look forward to sharing with and hearing from you in this new year as we move upward and onward to discover all the potential in front of us yet to be enjoyed by God's grace.

As a bonus, until my next post, I include my latest poem for you:

Anew

Celebrated arrival cloaked

in virginal innocence.

A blank sheet

clean slate

rose-kissed dawn

pregnant with possibility.

Viewed with eyes

of wonder

intrigue

suspicion

awe 
breath-held fear

and great curiosity.

What if?

What if THIS -

is the time

promises are kept

dreams come true

lessons are learnt

goals are met?

Will problems rule

and reign again?

Will love flourish

or die?

Will we rush 

with open-armed embrace

or turn aside?

No easy answers

rise to our lips.

This takes

steely determination

raw courage

blind optimism

great faith.

As we plunge

into The Unknown -

unfamiliar territory

anchored by memory

of past victories

of battles won;

we too

 will overcome.

©JoyLenton2012

Coming up on the blog soon:

• Thinking about how life is for those who struggle in various ways
• Looking at embracing my God-sized dream
• Further Grace Notes reflections

To stay tuned for all this and more, please consider connecting by Google-plus, subscribing by email or connecting with me on Facebook or Twitter. 

Moving on

Dear Friends,

As we slip from this Christmas season and approach a new year ahead, I want to pause a while and reflect on what those changes may involve. A new year gives us all a golden opportunity to turn over a new leaf, to seek to change and live in a better way than we did before. Let's begin with taking a look at the first stage in the process - moving on from the old - before we are ready to embrace the new.

Moving On

Vestiges linger on in our senses:

A prickle of pine,

sparkling lights ablaze,

glowing candles warming

hearts and hearths.

Mince pies, movies and mischief afoot.

Family noise: tears, shouts, cries for attention,

laughter and temper erupting -

competing with the buzz of TV 

and diverse gadgetry.

Gratitude remains:

Care folded up in a card,

Loving embraces,

Presents mingling with Presence,

Gifts glorified by Grace.

A savour and flavour of life, love and laughter

brought to an end by jangling of nerves,

kerrching of shop tills ringing

instead of choirs singing.

Caught up in consumerism

Wearied by work's

daily grind resuming. 

The lure of the High Street is calling.

Sales scrambling becomes the new pursuit,

leaving us stuffed to the gills

with more Stuff to house

No room at the inn

for it -  or for Him.

Let's get away from the mayhem.

New Year beckons.

New reasons to celebrate.

New horizons to explore.
New habits.
New ways.

New you?

Time for a make-over?

Time to change our ways?

Perhaps God is speaking to you through these words:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" ~ Isaiah 43:18 - 19

The verses above speak of God making a way where there seems to be no way. He is the One who states:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" ~ Revelation 22:13

Nothing is impossible for Him. Nothing in our lives is a surprise to Him. God sees the beginning and the end.

 Nostalgia, memory, and fear of change can hold us back from moving on. In learning to trust God's ways we will eventually come to have peace and feel able to make the necessary changes to become a new, improved version of ourselves.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Moving on requires us to let go - of old behavioural and thought patterns, of those things God may be asking us to relinquish (good as they are in themselves) because He has so much more planned for us than we can begin to imagine. Once His anointing is gone from an area of service then it is no longer fruitful or beneficial to us or to others if we persist in clinging on to it.

Jesus came to set us free from old ways of thinking and doing. He saves us from costly mistakes that will harm us, He saves us from following wrong paths, 

He saves us from being lost in our bad habits and ways of reacting. He saves us from living selfishly.

"If our greatest need had been information,

God would have sent us an educator.

If  our greatest need had been technology,

God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,

God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

So God sent us a Savior."

~ Roy Lessin from 'Meet Me in the Meadow' devotional

Now that The Saviour is here, we can turn to Him, seek His forgiveness, learn to gradually let go of the things He points out are wrong for us, move further into understanding His ways and live to please Him above ourselves.

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved" ~ Ephesians 2:4 -5 

Pause to ponder:

As you approach this new year,what might it look like if God is included in your thinking and planning?

Could God be asking you to 'let go' of something in order to fully 'move on' with your life?

In this post I am linking with Missional Women Faith-filled Fridays

Because you're worth it

It's that time of year again. Warmly, reassuringly, comfortingly familiar. With mystery at its heart to make it extra special.

We buy the presents. We buy into the pressure to spend, spend, spend.

We buy what we think others will like, need, deserve maybe.

Packaged, beribboned, sparkly, glittering, tantalising,  tempting in their shiny splendour.

Such adornments can either mask the meagre offering within or suggest its inestimable worth.

With sweat of furrowed brow, thrust of elbow, throbbing of feet, jangling of nerves, jingling of coins, ringing of tills and emptying of wallets, we make our offering and sacrifice at the altar of Consumerism.

We assign worth and value to the things we purchase:consumables that can so easily consume us, our hearts, energy and time - because we are worth it - and so are the people we buy for: our loved ones, family and friends.

As gift-giving is one of my love languages it helps me to express how I care for those I buy for. That careful selection (Wish Lists and online shopping are such a boon) so often gives way to hastily thrown together parcels as I find myself drained, exhausted, depleted and dazed in an M.E - blurred and fogged race against the clock to get it all completed before The Day itself.

Each year I vow to change:

• To pace myself better
• To stop the panic.
• To buy less.
• To give more to charity.
• To cease from being sucked in by consumerism.

To stop. Be still. Reflect on The One who is worthy of my time, limited energy and attention. To make a priority to focus more on The Gift Himself rather than the gifts to purchase.

How do I make space for Jesus when my days are filled with concern about how much there is to do and how little time I have to try to do it all in? It can be a struggle.

So much of what we celebrate is tainted by worldliness, a perennial keeping up with and out-smarting of  the Joneses, while we demonstrate how multi-skilled, talented and capable we are at meeting the multiplicity of demands upon our lives - frantically juggling those numerous balls in the air (with a fixed smile on our faces) for all we are worth.

So much of our lives is dominated by the need to belong, fit in, be a part of what is current and trendy

The desire to fill our need for self-worth with Things can leave a gaping hole - an empty space of dissatisfaction, disillusionment, discouragement and despair once the lure of the new has waned.

We are worth more than that and we were created for so much more.

'Space'

The holes in our existence

speak of

S-P-A-C-E

writ larger than we: 

Success

Popularity

Acclaim

Celebrity

Ego.

Things we chase

and grasp

so fleetingly

when a vaster Universe

lies within our reach:

Serenity

Peace

Acceptance

Change

Eternity.

In clutching

at straws

we lose

not only Life

but our very

souls

©JoyLenton2012

Our worthiness lies in recognising our need of change, then taking the first step of faith to being in relationship with God, The One who is worthy of the surrender of our hopes, dreams, expectations and lives into His hands.

The Heart of Worship - 

"When the music fades, 

all is stripped away 

and I simply come; 

longing just to bring 

something that's of worth, 

that will bless Your heart."...

©MattRedman1994 - You can click on the link to hear the full song

The word "worship" literally means "worthiness" or "worth-ship". Simply put, worship is to ascribe worth to something or someone.

Let's try to remember in the rush and crush of Christmas - The Light of lights, King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, Word made flesh, Who deserves our every breath, prayer, praise and worship.

Chorus:

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship,

and it's all about You,

all about You, Jesus.

I'm sorry, Lord,

for the thing I've made it,

when it's all about You,

all about You, Jesus"

The heart of worship is to bow our hearts before God in wonder, adoration and surrender to all that He is and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Points to ponder:

The challenge before us this Christmas remains:

Who or what are we worshipping?

What gifts can you offer to God?

I'm linking up here with Tanya Marlow's Advent Thoughts - do check it out

Light has come

Welcome. I have a confession to make - I am a mole. Or at least my family think I am. 

Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me. My mole-like characteristic is to shun the light.

If it can be dimmed, turned off or softly lamp-lit instead then I'm all for it.

My M.E afflicted eyes are hypersensitive to bright light of any description and it can cause physical pain at times.

But there is one light I am irresistibly drawn to time and time again:

The Light of the World: Jesus Christ

Instead of an unwelcome glare, there is healing, hope and safety here.

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light" ~ 2 Samuel 22:29

Darkness only serves to make the light shine brighter

In this Advent season light is very much in evidence. We see it in the Christmas lights twinkling on the tree, bright public decorations or the softer glow of candlelight.                                                                                                             
I'd like to add my piece of light by sharing a  reflection on the Christingle Service (Do click on the link for more information relating to its adoption in England and how it is celebrated) that takes place during the Advent season in many churches.

Christingle literally means "Christ Light" and is a service of light and ceremony, of song and symbolism, of celebrating the Hope and Joy that is found in Christ.

In the dark of Winter, the coming of Christ, the 'Light of the World' is a powerful message of hope that is for every season and for everyone.

Although I don't belong to a church that celebrates Christingle, our youngest son, Sam, was a Cathedral chorister once upon a time and I used to enjoy participating in the Christmas services there, as well as in various Church of England (C of E) ones I have attended over the years. 

This reflection is viewed partly through the lens of memory and partly through my imagination. 

'Light has Come'

"Shafts of scattered light pick out patchwork patterns of jewelled fragments dancing with vibrancy - stained-glass images through which we read a story still ringing true.

Polished pews we dutifully slide off, painfully kneel on hard woven hassocks wrought with love and devotion, the warp and weft of history recording human and Divine encounter. Readying ourselves to add our links of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication to the ongoing chain of prayer.

Incense wafting in the air already heady with floral scents, sputtering gas-lit lamps, candle wax dripping hotly onto brass; tang of orange-scented globes thrust high in sweaty palms.

Angelic voices rising and mingling with the coughs, chokes and mis-timed notes of Congregational singing. Songs of adoration, praise in celebrating Mystery beyond our understanding.

Procession trailing, gently swaying robes sweeping the floor as eyes turn to watch them passing by and catch a glimpse of choristers - bold and shy - following the vestmented few.

A pause in proceedings, a sniff, shuffle, sighed "Excuse me" as we file forward, released from our seats, now participating in homage paid to the Nativity scene where all sojourners meet.

Finding a babe in the manger, an infant serene, as His mother Mary quietly observes Him, pondering deeply all that has been. These are our representatives of Your love come down - to celebrate the wonder of Your kingly crown set aside for earth's suffering: The God-head revealed in humanity shared.

Now You make Your home with the hurting, the broken, the lonely and lost. No longer confined to a manger, a stable, a desert, a cross. You are out in this world, slipping into its streets of shame to rescue the desperate, the hopeless and helpless - society's rejects accepted and loved - forever welcomed, made new, received by Heaven above.

So we make room in our hearts and lives for You too as we ponder these things as Mary would do. Then we take what we learn and share it around, because everyone deserves to come Home safe and sound. Back to the place we used to come from - back to believing we truly belong. Back to Your side and back to Your heart. Forever to stay and never depart."

"There are two ways of spreading light:to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it" ~ Edith Wharton

Pause to ponder:

In this Advent season what does light symbolise for you?

How can we be the light for others?

In this post I am linking up to Tanya Marlow's Advent thoughts Do check it out and join in the reflections and comments.

A stilling of the soul

Tranquillity can seem a remote dream in our busy lives. 

Can we really be at peace with ourselves and the world around us without resorting to prescription medication, meditation of some sort or other, or simply spending a briefly blissful time at a spa with the various soothing therapies on offer?

This Advent season finds me drained and drooping with exhaustion. I tell myself:It isn't meant to be like this

How can I appreciate the wonder of the Incarnation of Emmanuel - God with us - if my days are full of stress, strain, weakness, frustration and pain? 

And let's not forget the endless 'To Do' list that doesn't ever seem to get done when it should:cards, presents, wrapping paper, festive decorating, food, and other paraphernalia. You get the picture.

Even if being sick and tired is pretty normal for me, it is still an unwelcome intrusion and one I stupidly fail to make allowances for each year. It is all too easy to fool myself into thinking - This Year will be different: I will be well (relatively speaking), prepare in advance, pace myself, not get so exhausted that I can barely keep my eyes open at all come Christmas Day itself, then find I'm simply longing for it all to be over so I can just sleeeeppp....like for ever, please! 

Living life in an endless pit of exhaustion, a blur of activity or a frazzled state of stress can't be right. Perhaps there is a way to be heavenly minded in an earthly existence?

A few weeks ago a friend sent me an e-mail with a verse she felt led to share. It was a timely reminder to cease from activity and striving, whether mental or physical, and rest in God's presence:

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" ~ Psalm 46:10

I have been thinking through each word from the opening part of this verse and wondering how to incorporate it into my life in a practical way.

Biblical mediation is a deep, slow, purposeful reflection, a 'chewing over' the words of scripture until they sink into our spirit, heart and mind and become part of who we are and how we react, think and feel.

This is a personal interpretation of its message and how it can be meditated upon:

Be: Be aware. Be in the moment. Being instead of doing. Being open and receptive to the whispers of God's grace. Be thankful for the good things in your life. Consider the glory of Being Alive and able to relate to God and to others

Still: Still the body.  Sit or lay in a relaxed position. Allow your thoughts to subside. Calmly allow them to flow and observe as if from a distance. Take some slow, deep breaths. Give any anxieties or cares over to God.

And know: Offer up your heart to God. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you by His presence and through His word. Recognise that God inhabits the quiet places and we may have to tune our hearts to hear Him speaking. Quietly offer yourself to Him as you pay attention to anything He may be saying to you. Be thankful that He is a God who desires to be known.

That I AM God: Here we recognise the historical 'I AM' who revealed Himself to Moses. The eternal nature of His being is revealed in that description. 

The poem below (by Helen Mallicot) describes so well the "I AM" nature of God:

I AM

9

I was regretting the past and 
fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

My Name is I AM

He paused; I waited; he continued:

When you live in the past,

with its mistakes and regrets,

it is hard. I am not there:

My name is not I WAS

When you live in the future,

with its problems and fears,

it is hard. I am not there:

My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in this moment it 

is not hard.

I am here:

My name is 
I AM.

You may be thinking that I am speaking to you as someone who has perfected the art of BEING. After all, people with M.E and other chronic health problems can't actually DO much can they? Sorry to disillusion you. In this area (as in so many) I speak as one who is still taking one baby step at a time. 

My body may be significantly less active and able than I want it to be but that doesn't prevent my mind from buzzing around restlessly like a hamster on a wheel - busy going nowhere - even when hampered by fatigue and brain-fog.

It can be so hard to switch off when my mind is running on adrenaline a lot of the time just to keep focused and seemingly alert. This blog post wouldn't have been written at all if I didn't already have most of it available as a "Here's one I prepared earlier" 'Blue Peter'-style draft. Writing whenever energy and inspiration are flowing helps me not to overtax myself when it isn't.

Perhaps it's time to put away the idea of 'Perfect Schmerfect' and settle for 'Good Enough' this Christmas and beyond?

It may mean shifting the focus this season away from our faults, failings and potentially organised chaos, away from mass and crass commercialism, and stopping to remember that God is the Eternal Now, the great I AM who is ready to meet with us right where we are in the messy imperfections of our humanity - and indeed already has in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ

"Don't be in such a hurry with life that you rush past those warm, quiet places where you have met with the Lord and enjoyed His company. The peace and perspective that comes from those few sweet moments will colour the rest of your day" ~ Joni Eareckson Tada 'Daily Devotionals'

Over to you:
Have you lost sight of what is really important in the run up to Christmas?
What does being at peace look like to you?

Taking a leap of faith

Welcome. So pleased you have joined me.
Are you ready for a s-t-r-e-t-c-h? Go on, you know it will do you good. A physical stretch eases our limbs and a mental one fires up the brain.

After all, isn't life all about change and challenges? Or are they just for the brave - or foolhardy - few? It takes an element of faith to rise to a challenge and to see it through.

 We all exercise faith on a daily basis, to some degree or other, as we trust the world around us to operate as it should.

Chairs are meant to be sat in, right?

I am taking a leap of faith here in sharing my words ~ actually every time I press 'Publish' I require nerves of steel that someone will read, and hopefully enjoy, the message I am sharing.

One of the greatest challenges that faces us is also one of life's greatest pleasures: loving and being loved in return.

It opens us up to the possibility of heartache, despair, rejection and loss, as well as to a potential for joy and delight beyond measure.

Because loving and being loved is one of our primary reasons for existence. We were all created as unique individuals, crafted by God's loving hand, in order to know and be in relationship with Him. God is the Only Person Who loves us unconditionally and without measure.

As we draw near to the Christmas period we have great opportunity to reflect on just who Jesus is and why He came into the world.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life" ~ John 3:16 The Message

Jesus said:"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." ~John 15:9

Yet we can struggle to accept not only that we are loved, but that we might even be lovable to someone else. Perhaps our upbringing and family life failed to affirm that necessary message to us or being hurt by other people may have made a serious dent in our ability to believe it. 

Once our hearts have been crushed or broken they may feel beyond repair. How do we learn to love again when we feel unlovable? 

Our poor self-image and imperfections can lead us to feel unworthy of receiving love or even incapable of giving it away freely to others.

What we are lacking ourselves (or feel as if we do) can become a stumbling-block in reaching out that may even be hidden from us until it really matters. Then we wonder what is stopping us from giving and receiving equally. Most of us long for an experience such as this:

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away" ~ George Eliot

My relationship with God is a safe harbour like this, as He takes the worst of what I am, deals with the bad and does everything to promote and encourage the good. There is such comfort and freedom in being able to pour out all that I am and all I am going through and know He cares, understands and has every ability to bring about the necessary changes.

 His word also tells us -

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" ~ Psalm 34:18

God meets with us right where we are. We don't have to clean up our act before coming to Him. He longs to do the same for all of us  -  if we would only allow Him access.

Sometimes He has to do a healing work in us before we can believe we are lovable. Past emotional conflict and pain can stand in the way.

Are we ready to exercise our faith in The Only Person Who will always love and be there for us ?

Are we ready to take that leap?

A Prayer
Dear Father,
How our hearts weigh heavy at times as we long to be able to be loved and to give love to others. Yet so many things can get in the way. We may not feel worthy or capable. We may lack the resources emotionally to be open and trusting. 

It can feel scary to let another person see the 'Real Me' behind the masks we wear to try to fit in and seem like everyone else, even though we may feel isolated, lost and alone in our differences.

Yet, You made each one of us unique and special. We have gifts and abilities to share.There are no Outsiders in your kingdom of grace. Help us to see ourselves as we are In Christ and as You see us - Accepted, Beloved, Chosen.

Then do the necessary work within our hearts to enable us to be healed, at peace with You, with ourselves and with one another, set free to love and be loved as you planned for us to be.
Thank you.
Amen.