By: Gabriela Yareliz
Here are the handful of quotes that stayed on my mind throughout the month of January 2022:
Understanding
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Attributed to Marie Curie
Fear really distorts things for us. Understanding takes time, attention, intentionality, pause. The pause is well worth it. It prevents the spiral.
Power
“The real measure of our power is the freedom and opportunity we create for others. Men and women who are marked by integrity point the way to freedom.” Erwin McManus, Uprising
Power lies in servanthood. Freedom is a value that is born from courage and integrity.
Cruelty
“God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.”
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 591
We must check everything against the law of God, which is a reflection of His character. What Scripture reveals to be His character is the standard of all. To know, we must invest our hearts in the reading of it and in the search for truth.
Language
“Without language one is lost, hopelessly lonely.” Bonhoeffer
Words have power. So does silence. It’s the difference between trust and distrust, company and loneliness, connection and disconnect.
Fight
“The nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream is being strangled. The nights you fight best are when reason gets kicked in the gut, when the chariots of gloom encircle you. The nights you fight best are when the laughter of fools fills the air, when the kiss of death is mistaken for love. The nights you fight best are when the game is fixed, when the crowd screams for your blood. The nights you fight best are on a night like this as you chase a thousand dark rats from your brain, as you rise up against the impossible, as you become a brother to the tender sister of joy and move on regardless.” Charles Bukowski
This one needs no explanation.
Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate. Let’s do this, February!
xx
GABRIELA YARELIZ 