Take a moment
Try not to rush it
Breathe and pause
Before you flush it
Conscious thought
In welcome… pray
Create the space
To meet each day
Sweet release
We become aware
That our God
Is everywhere
In His presence
Now rest and reside
Allowing space for God
… Always by His side
Charlotte-Anne Allen
Warm sunshine and soft country breeze
Quiet sunrise with golden rays
Soft laughter and companionship
Gentle, calming… sooths the soul
What this balmy day can share
Lifts the spirits everywhere
Healing salve for body and mind
Fragrant oil and cooling drop
Home and comfort during trying times
Kick off the shoes and breathing deep
Curing unguent for renewal and rest
There is a balm both caring and sweet
Cracked and dry we seek balsam’s touch
Absorbing goodness to now be restored
Kindness reaches out like Gilead’s finest
… Feel God’s ointment sinking in
Charlotte-Anne Allen
A word has recently been popping into my mind and so I have returned to it to see what it is saying to me. 🙂 That word is “yet” …Have you thought about this small but powerful little word before? It’s one of those words that we use a lot. Some ways we might use this small word are:
Are you finished yet?
I don’t know yet.
I have yet to see that happen.
He was yet a child.
Is she here yet?
Yet they were still able to come.
Are we there yet?
Are those any you find yourself saying? …“Yet” means that we have expectations. When we haven’t finished something, called someone, or done something we’ve been asked to do … adding “yet” can make a difference! There are still plans or hopes for the future. “Yet” can spark both anticipation and concern.
Now, the hard part for me, and for most of us, is staying motivated and encouraged. Keeping a positive attitude and persevering can be challenging, can’t it? I still well-remember and appreciate my mom reminding me to take one thing at a time. I’ve also learned to work on my perspective, to trust God for direction, and to focus on the small and “do-able” steps needed. And then there are times to give up our own “yet” and re-examine expectations and life’s journey.
Look how God leads us to adjust our own “yet” as he modeled his own:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NASB
God didn’t wait for us to be perfect examples (That’s impossible anyway, isn’t it?!). His help with waiting, reminding me of the need for patience, and adjusting expectations knowing that He with us through the long haul… that’s what keeps me going. God has gone before us and is waiting and preparing for us as we travel to the “yet.”
My prayers for myself and for us all, is that God will surround us with people, and will create us to be people, who help during all our “yets”. I am so thankful that he came to us first, during our greatest “yet”. Be encouraged.
Charlotte-Anne Allen
When upside down
Unhappy frown
A welcome “up” we seek
Cheerful voice and lips uplifted
Encouragement to be gifted
… Bring sunshine to gray days
Listen up and hear
When our hearts feel fear
… To God’s quiet presence within
Don’t hang it up when we are sprawled
On our backs where we have crawled
… Take a breath and be at rest
Offered helping hand
Now we can stand
Wake up, walk up, climb up
Charlotte-Anne Allen
• Notice the everyday fine things of life all around us
• Our surroundings affect us in many ways
• Small experiences can add up to big challenges
• Life’s happenings carry our thoughts and feelings
• Be in prayer when encountering caustic influences
• Negative self-focused inactivity can breed discontent
• Regular cleaning of harmful particles is helpful
• As wind blows, intention moves us forward to clear the air
• Disuse and disinterest may result in loss of skills and potential
• Be aware of how accumulated hurts and trauma affect relationships
• Positive pauses and stillness can bring relief and rest
• Wisdom grows from built up experience
• Allow wisdom to lift, heal, and encourage others
• God cleans the accumulated “dust” from our souls
From “Reflections from the Everyday”
Charlotte-Anne Allen
We lift our faces to sun’s warm glow
On summer day or winter’s snow
To lips we bring in welcome cheer
food and drink to nourish us here
A child we hold in tender care
Holding closely to see them there
Picking up each other too
Showing our care and being true
We lift our prayers; we lift our eyes
To One who knows and is most wise
Charlotte-Anne Allen
Did you have a blanket or toy you were attached to when you were a child? I remember the Raggedy Ann doll that my mother made for me. I loved that doll and the comfort it gave me! One summer I took it with me on a trip to my grandparents’ home and was quite concerned until my youngest cousin returned it after carrying it around for a while.
Whether it’s a cozy blanket, special toy, the company of others, or perhaps a special place or person… those sources of comfort stick to our memory, don’t they? Comfort is something we crave from birth, turning toward the source of nourishment and security. I think of newborn Jesus comforted by his mother, wrapped in warm cloths, cradled in her arms, and laid in the security of the manger. I imagine Joseph caring for them both and the light of God’s presence there with them. Can’t you just see that in your mind?!
Think of how Jesus was a source of comfort and healing during his time on earth. Before he was taken back up, Jesus told his disciples that God would send an Advocate or Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to them (John 14:26-27). We are not alone. Then Paul talked about the “God of all comfort”. I love how he went on to say that God “comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Comfort is something that we share with others, whether it be through words, actions, or simple presence and support.
As you cherish your times of comfort or see a child with their comforting “blankie,” be encouraged. May you in turn reach out to others to offer your own comfort. What a better world this would be if we could be more intentional in doing that. I’m so thankful for God, who both challenges and comforts us.
Charlotte-Anne Allen
• Smell the sweet, the rank, the rich variety of each day
• Contentment is a choice to be pursued and adopted
• Life is full when surrounded by companions amid the messes
• Warmth and security emanate from care and craft
• Prepare and lay down what is needed for daily tasks
• Work together and receive instruction and assistance humbly
• Dedicated labor brings care and satisfaction
• Build strongly and wisely
• Home is shelter and a quiet place to curl up
• Caring for needs fortifies and feeds minds and bodies
• Give thanks for warm dry shelter
• We are all part of a rich stew – sheep, donkey, horse, cow, cat, dog…
• The seemingly lowest of places can give birth to the greatest of light
• See the Light that pierces through the dust and grime of life
From “Reflections from the Everyday”
Charlotte-Anne Allen
The crunch of autumn leaves beneath my feet reminds me of the changing seasons. Falling leaves swirl around me, carried by the soft wind, twirling in the late afternoon sun. Reds, yellows, oranges, and rusty browns all speak of the shifting seasons. They cling to the trees, that source of sustenance and growth, and then finally release to their next season of fulfillment.
I think of the leaves as a reflection of our own lives. We too grow and change, drawing from God who is our source of strength and grace, and travel through our own seasons and experiences. We are lifted and sent forth to encourage and build up others around us, offering care and a bit of wisdom from past experiences.
I gently swoosh the leaves in my path, as I watch a couple’s dog joyfully bounce through the mounds of newly released leaves. His joy brings a smile to my own face, and a hymn of rejoicing based on Psalm 100 sounds in my mind.
“Oh, be joyful in the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before his presence with a song. Bless the Lord! Bless the Lord!”
May we be as newly sent forth leaves, rejoicing as the Light shines upon us and as the wind of God’s Spirit lifts us up. Let’s breathe deeply of His presence and step forward with Him by our side, soaking in the peace of a hard day done or lifting words of thanks and song.
Charlotte-Anne Allen
Warm and smooth
Speaks of earth and life
Dig in your toes
Shed stress and strife
Comforting soothing
Hot tea, blanket, or sock
Solid support to lean on
A tree, strong arm, and a rock
And not to forget that sweet
Melt in your mouth taste
Curl up now and rest
Set aside need for haste
Not dull or plain, but rich
And fulfilling… chocolatey brown
From “On Colors”
Charlotte-Anne Allen
The Still Small Voice 