Reflections Before Bedtime #74

“When I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:6-8

That Boy

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“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday, you’ll meet a boy who will learn your favourite flower, your favourite song, your favourite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won’t matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.” Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

[Image from Tumblr]

Monday Inspiration: February 22, 2016

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Happy week, friends!

I pray you are excited to live out another beautiful week of life. I know that marvelous things await us this week; Victories, love, laughter and the satisfaction that comes from perseverance– it’s coming.

This week, I hope we can impart true love. I hope we feel that communion with God that brings peace to our hearts. May it be a week of character growth; hope and seeking the treasures that matter most in life– the things unseen. Even the Little Prince says, that which is essential is invisible to the eyes.

Let us keep seeking truth and pursuing it as the valuable and rare gem that it is. It will cost us everything; but we’ll gain everything and more. I hope we are courageous enough to go after it. As we seek, we will be transformed.

God doesn’t want to be number one on my list. He wants to be my everything. He doesn’t want to make me better. He wants to transform me. This is what He wants from and for all of us.

Let’s rock!

Be blessed.

XOXO.

Here are some little gems of inspiration, as we start out the week (and you’ll note Charles Spurgeon is on here, a lot. Shoutout to Mr. Spurgeon and his wisdom that is still with us!):

“Communion with God imparts to the soul an intimate knowledge of His will.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, pg. 534.

“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” Charles Spurgeon

“We should seek for true goodness rather than greatness.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, pg. 242.

“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” Charles Spurgeon

“Love illuminates the countenance and subdues the voice; it refines and elevates the entire man. It brings him into harmony with God, for it is a heavenly attribute.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, pg. 559.

“If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.”
Oswald Chambers // My Utmost for His Highest

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” Charles Spurgeon

“Christ touches us more deeply than our pain or our guilt.” Oswald Chambers

“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” Charles Spurgeon

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” Charles Spurgeon

Here is to an awesome week!

Seek truth; seek the scriptures; seek after love.

Go in peace. ❤️

Sunday Girl: February 21, 2016

Compiled by: Gabriela Yareliz

Hello lovely friends,

We are starting off another week. It’s going to be a jam-packed week full of excitement, exhaustion and satisfaction for me. I thought I would post some inspiration I have come across, recently. May you be inspired to conquer the week! Let’s do this!

“Your mind will always believe everything you tell it. Feed it faith. Feed it truth. Feed it with love.”

“Your mind must arrive at your destination before your life does.”

“I never lose. Either I win or I learn.”

“Stop pitching an idea; everyone has ideas. You should execute it and then pitch the opportunity.” Eric Damier

“Some people will love you as long as you fit in their box. Don’t be afraid to disappoint.”

“Every setback is a setup for a comeback.”

“It’s not a matter about whether it will happen. It will happen. It’s just a matter of when.”

“When something is gone, something better is coming.”

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.”

“I can. I will. End of story.”

Bus Stop

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Last night, I was talking to Feliz as she was driving home. We were having our classic drive-home convo, when she saw a girl at a bus stop. “Keep her warm, Lord!” Feliz exclaimed into the phone.

When she kept driving, Feliz said, “Oh, the bus is right there. It’s right around the corner. She can’t see it because of where she is sitting, but it’s almost there.”

We both basically said at the same time, “Life is like that, sometimes.” Yes. Sometimes, we are sitting at our bus stop, waiting and in the dark. We think something is so far, but in reality, what we are waiting for is right around the corner– we just can’t see it.

Be patient, your bus may be almost there. While you wait, may the Lord keep you.

Tag: Day #3

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Last day of the Three Days, Three Quotes challenge!

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“Language and identity are so fundamentally intertwined. You peel back all the layers in terms of what we wear, and what we eat, and all the things that mark us, and in the end what we have are our words.” Jhumpa Lahiri, Vogue India

This made me think about how Penelope Cruz ended up marrying Javier Bardem, after years of Tom Cruz types. Maybe, in the end, especially when you speak several languages, you are looking for someone who understands your identity, fully; someone who can try to understand every part of you. And then again, there are those like Marie Curie. Curie married a person who perhaps couldn’t understand a whole part of her. In the end, with friends and all kinds of relationships, we are all just trying to be understood. Language is deeper than just a label, ‘Bengali,’ ‘Spanish,’ ‘Italian’… It’s a profound sense of belonging.

Some languages make us feel exiled; others, bring our souls home.

The Vogue India article on the philosophy of language, according to Jhumpa Lahiri, is linked.

Language and identity are inseparable. I know it’s true.

[Image from Vogue India]

Ségolène

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By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s no secret that Nicolas Sarkozy holds a very special place on my “fascinating politicians” list. Okay, I admit it, he’s at the top of the list. Meeting him and speaking with him was pretty much mind-blowing. A fantastic birthday gift, God, very thoughtful.

In 2007, Sarko was challenged in his race to the French presidency by a brilliant woman, Ségolène Royal. I paid close attention to her, and I was equally fascinated by her. I printed out every article about her from Elle.fr, during the 2007 elections.

I loved the slideshow Madame Figaro did in her honor, showing the trajectory of her career, thus far; (you can see it, here). It was a thoughtful reminder that Ségolène is still on the rise and on the move. A brilliant and ambitious woman cannot be stopped.

We see you, Ségolène, we see you, and you are still shining bright.

[Images from Madame Figaro and TF1]

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Tag: Day #2

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Today’s quote of the day, for the Three Days, Three Quotes tag:

“Dream your dreams, like what you like, be 100% truly, deeply, strangely, passionately you, because you are enough.”

I saw this quote on Lewis Howes’ page.

We get measured by so many factors, these days. I hope we can find the courage to be ourselves. My favorite part of the quote is where it says “because you are enough.” Your Maker “determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names.” Psalm 147:4. That same Creator made you beautiful.