Gentleman

Romantic movies are so….um, romantic. The dance between to loves can be encouraging because you’re expecting the happy ending no matter what their journey was. Real love always finds a way, because when there’s a will there’s a way.

The best love story is the one between you and heaven. Heaven is all love. Heaven is full of grace and mercy, forgiveness and blessings, love and understanding. Heaven sees you. Heaven hears you. Heaven is simply cheering you on from every angle of your life. But, I’ve learned how gentle heaven is. God is so good to me, that he never pushes me to be something that I’m not; he loves and accepts me just as I am. Heaven is always working with me to help me get better, and they do this step by step, little by little, glory by glory.

If I want to get better in all areas of my life, then I have to get serious about my relationship with God. God is a gentleman and he is not going to force me to pray to him or read my bible or go to church or respond to life’s situations in love. God is always there, but I have to do my part too. What if you had a friend that only came to you when they were in trouble or got upset and didn’t know what else to do or who else to turn to? How many people do that with God? Don’t just go to God for sorrow, but go to him for joy and with joy too. Always go to God for everything.

God is not harsh, instead he is all love. If I work with God, then I know he is happy with me, even if I’m not doing everything right…he sees me trying and he sees me making the effort to do better.

If I’m working on godly things like love, patience, forgives or acceptance, then I know that my foundation in God is getting strong. You need a good foundation because that’s going to help you make it through life when situations you don’t like fall upon you. If you really know who you are in ugly life situations, you will come out victorious because God works all things together for your good and his glory. Get strong before the storm. Don’t wait for storms to make you reach out for Gods help, he always wants to help you…and it’s never too late for his help…even if your find yourself in the eye of the storm. The storms of life are there as teachers to help us get better, but think how much easier the storm would be and how much faster we’d move through the storms if we are grounded in God. To be grounded in God you need to know God. You know God by saying Godly things, reading what the bible says, praying to God.

If we had a miracle for every trial…then we would never really grow, because when the next trial came, we would then need yet another miracle. Miracles are wonderful, and God does and can perform miracles, but God also wants you to be strong and grow, and he wants you to be in a relationship with him, and that you can face all things with him by your side.

A true gentleman is elegant and patient. A gentleman should make you feel like you are important and valuable. A true gentleman is soft spoken and caring. Be the star in your own romantic movie! And let the leading man be Gentle!

Be You

Stop letting yourself play small

You have so much to offer

Be the bright light you’re meant to be

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bottoms Up!

Recipe:

1 Clear drinking cup

3-4 Scoops of dirt

Clean water

Take your clear cup or drinking glass and toss in your scoops of dirt. Then fill clear cup or drinking glass with clean water. View content of glass: Do NOT drink. What do you see? Is the glass cloudy? Does the water look appealing to drink? Would you serve this drink to friends or family? No!

Think of the cup as your mind. The dirt represents mean, harsh, worried, negative thoughts. The clean water represents kind, encouraging, uplifting, positive thoughts. Now, even though you only have a couple of dirt scoops (negative words) in the glass, it still causes the glass (your mind) to be unappealing and not serve worthy. Even a couple of negative thoughts in your mind are causing you to not serve at your best. It’s only natural to have moments of stress that bring on negative or worried mindsets, but follow the rest of the recipe.

Take your glass that still has the dirt scoops in it and keep pouring clean water in it. What do you notice? You’ll find that as you keeping pouring the clean water into the cup, the cup overflows and overflows until the dirt gets lifted to the rim of the cup and flows out. Keep running the clean water long enough and you’ll find there’s no longer any dirt in the cup; the cup is crystal clear and ready to serve!

That’s the recipe to a healthy mindset: Keep pouring positive words and thoughts into your mind until the negativity flows out. Keep pouring, and when you think you don’t need to pour anymore….keep pouring. This is not an overnight recipe, but the results are delicious!

Cheers!

Rest

Be careful of the thoughts you hold in your mind, for they produce results. Results of hope, joy, peace, compassion, or love all come from the processing attitude of the mind. Rest your mind from the stealing energy of worry: Rest in the thought that you are loved and cared for. 

My breath represents purpose. Your breath represents purpose. Let there be great wonderment in the the next chapter of your life. I choose to expect my next chapter to be a wonderland of God’s graces, because magical things can happen with the attitude of faith: Rest in wonderment.

Change is the process for transformation that is tooled to shape us into more than we realized we are; rest in your shaping period. Work hard at growing and becoming better: Rest in the results.

Colossians 3:15 (NLT) "Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace."

Illuminate

Things may seem confusing but they are not. The answers you seek may seem far away but they are not. There is always a spot of light that leads to the path of fulfillment. Illuminate my steps. Oh what a romantic journey we are on to see our dreams and prayers unfold in mystical ways. My day is filled with wonder and expectancy, because I choose to see the spot of light that calls my name. My faith filled eyes can see the promises and my heart has decided to stop questioning what it sees. Illuminate my intentions. I don’t need to know everything, because I believe in the one who does. I don’t need to worry about my life, because I believe in the one who already has every answer to my needs. Illuminate my divine destinations. I must be still to find that flashing light that never extinguishes. Illuminate my purpose. I will not fight the gentle hand that lights my northern star; instead, I will stretch out my hand back to you and we’ll walk this illuminated path together.

Operation: Reconnect Weekend

The mission for this weekend is to reconnect. With busy schedules and must do obligations, I request that you take this weekend to go back to basics and enjoy the simple pleasures in life and relax. Relax this weekend and enjoy life and enjoy those who are in your life. Reconnect this weekend with the ones you love: friends, family, even yourself! It’s not selfish to want to take time for yourself, it’s a necessity. If you don’t recharge your batteries, then how do you expect to keep giving to everyone who needs your help?  

Kick off the weekend by doing something fun (and safe). Tell the people in your life that you appreciate them; Even if someone is far away…pick up the phone or send an e-mail telling them you’re thinking of them.

If you choose to accept your assignment you’ll be ready to tackle another manic Monday with grace, and remember the true meaning of T.G.I.F

Wait

There are events in our lives that we want now. There’s the must have, gotta have, dream to have situations. We want to get married. We want to be popular. We want to get promoted. We want the perfect job. We want to live in the house of our dreams on our favorite street. We want…well, you get the point.

Why do we make ourselves go stir crazy for the things we want, especially if we want it now? Wait. Is that the answer that follows the question? Yes. We have to wait. Waiting is not a bad thing, because waiting can build character. Sometimes when we get something fast, we tend to lose a scene of appreciation for it. If there is something that you’ve been wanting and praying for, don’t give up; just wait for God and his timing to bring it into your life. Trust God with your request and when he wants to bring it into your life.

For example, it’s hard to be lonely. But I’d rather be alone and wait for God to bring the right kind of people who he knows will be beneficial in my life. It’s hard to see others get promoted when you’ve been wanting increase. I’d rather wait on God to bring me promotion because he knows the type of promotion that will be most stable for me in my life. God has a way of working everything out. You’re situation can change for the better in an instant. But isn’t waiting and my situation can change in an instant a contradiction? No. If you are waiting and trusting God, then that waiting is building strength, trust, faith, and appreciation in you, and when God has worked everything out….wham, instant increase.  God is amazing, and I want you to get excited about your life. Have bold prayers. Trust God. Wait for your breakthroughs because your breakthroughs are tailor made for you; so wait for the finishing touches God is putting on your breakthrough.

Do your best and trust that everything is okay, because it is. Expect God to come through for you; I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!

Hello

Hello Viewers,

I wanted to let you know that I’m going to post something new soon, but in the mean time, I want you to really soak in the words that I have already posted. I want this blog to encourage you, inspire you, and help you. Please let the lessons and insights that I’ve shared so far really soak in; I suggest you re-read your favorite post or read a post you haven’t. I want you to get the most from this blog. I want to make your day brighter!

Have a beautiful day!

~Elle

Spin the Record

I love this song….play it again Mr. DJ. Don’t you love it when your favorite song comes on the radio?! When your song comes on you dance or sing along at the top of your lungs…or if you’re anything like me, you’ll grove and sing while pretending you’re in the music video.

Good songs, bad songs, and even jingles for ads can get stuck in our head, right? Sometimes we don’t even have to hear the song but hear some random person singing the song that’s stuck in their head for it to then be stuck in our heads. Annoying, right? Right? Yeah…you know what I’m talking about.

The mind is very important. I’ve heard the saying: everything starts with a thought; that is really true. The mind is so powerful and complicated that is should be given more respect and we should focus more on our mind. The mind is here to help us and when you work with your mind, you can really change your life for the better.

The misconception is that mediation is the thing that hippies and spiritual gurus only do. Mediation is conceived as a difficult and hard task to do, because who has the time to sit on the floor in silence and completely clear their mind for long stretches of time? Mediation is wonderful, and if you want to learn how to mediate then I suggest you go search and learn how to mediate and find which mediation is right for you. But, I want to talk about another type of mediation that people seem to over look. I’m going to call this ‘record mediation.’

You have a mind designed with a conscience and a sub-conscience. You are always taking in information and processing information. You are always working from your mind, if you realize this or not. You are the DJ and you are playing a record in your mind….and your actions and how you live is a reflection of your song choice.

Example: If you were always told that you were creative and how you always have such great creative ideas, then you will always be the one in the group that is creative and everyone always loves your ideas; you won’t even know how you come up with the ideas, you just know you’re creative. But your mind knows why you’re creative…it is working off that positive input or in other terms the repeated song you kept hearing: You are one creative individual.

Sadly to say negativity is just as effective as positivity, but with different results. Positivity breeds positive results and negativity breeds negative results. Those are your two choices in every situation: Positive vs. Negative. What side of the record will you play?

What kind of music, TV programs, and movies do you watch? What type of books, magazines, or blogs do you read? How are you spending your time? What type of conversations are you having with your friends? All those things are a form of record mediation; it’s what you are feeding your mind.

If you are finding yourself on the negative side of the record, there is good news, because like any good DJ can tell you, you can re-record material and do great re-mixes.

Pay attention to your thoughts. The best way to record a bad record is to speak positive things all the time. Won’t that feel weird? Yep! But anything is worth trying if it leads to a better life. Get to know God. Get to know the Bible and what God says about you. God loves you so much. If you could only see how much God loved you…you would never be so harsh on yourself. Be kind to yourself, do that for yourself and don’t put expectations on others to give you your validation. Put post-it notes all over that say positive things. If you are hearing something or watching something that you don’t think is positive…turn away from it. If you can’t get away from someone that is negative then you have to know who you are in God so that person can’t fill your mind with their meanness; you don’t want someone else’s sad song to become the record in your own mind. Seek the good in everything. Those are the tunes you want stuck in your head.

Give yourself time for the change, because nothing ever really works over night. So treat yourself like the rock star that you are and play your number one hit song…over and over again. There are no one-hit wonders to God, he can produce so much beauty in your life if you play that positive record.

Go dust off your record and give it a new spin (no turntables required) and just push play!

Simply

Prayer time does not have to be something you only do on Sundays in church. Prayer does not have to be fancy or filled with biblical terms. Prayer can be done anywhere at any time. Prayer is simply talking to God as if you’re talking with a good friend; in fact God is your best friend. Since God knows everything and understands you better than you know yourself, talk to him with an open heart about what concerns you and what you want. Ask God for his help. Ask God to give you favor. God has your prayers in his heart, and he will answer you. Prayer does work. Know that if you are praying then heaven is working. Heaven answers may not seem as clear to us, but sometimes that’s for our best interest. Have faith that everything in your life will work out. Simply talk. Simply trust. Simply believe.  

Thankful Comment

Keeping with the thankful theme, I’ll share some things I’m grateful for:

·        My Health

·        My family

·        Hot water to take relaxing baths

·        Clean sheets to sleep in at night

·        Laughter

·        God understanding me

I’d be thankful if my lovely readers left a comment below mentioning something they are grateful for.

Thankful List

The theme in the last couple of posts has been about being thankful; I’d like to continue this theme. It is my opinion that being thankful really makes you humble. There are so many things we take for granted in our daily lives. Some people get stuck making thankful lists, but truly there is so much that is going right in your life instead of what’s going wrong; you just need to give the thankful experience a fresh set of eyes.

I hear of really successful people being thankful for everything they have, which by the way is an interesting subject. Some really successful people came from nothing and were able to set a foundation for themselves that they can be happy with or without success, because they’ve experienced both. Being thankful in small times will only make you more grounded and ready for promotion. It’s the challenging times that make you even more thankful when you do reach a new level of prosperity. But the flip side is when you hear really successful people saying their so thankful for everything they have, but they’ve never struggled. Well, let’s back up and say that we all have a cross to carry in life, and nobody has a perfect life. But to those who seem to have everything and go on and on about how lucky they are, I wonder how they would feel if their luck ran out? Would they still find reasons to give thanks? My point: never get complacent with your gratitude. If you’re struggling, remember to be thankful for the little things and give thanks in advance for the big things that are coming. If you’re already where you want to be, remember the grace that put you there and show your gratitude by helping someone who is on the up and coming.

I would like to thank all my readers who visit, follow, and leave lovely comments….you have made my thankful list grow a little more!

Love At Every Turn

I want to encourage my viewers to learn how to love. Most importantly learn to love yourself exactly the way you are. Remove your ego and accept how you are in the present moment and tell yourself that you are loved and valuable. You do not have to be like anyone else; you are enough. You don’t have to impress anyone for validation or approval, you’re already impressive. Don’t look at your life and think, ‘if only I was this, if only I had that!’ No, you have everything right now to embrace and love and accept yourself.

You should always want to do your best and be a person of excellence, but please recognize the amazing being that you are. If your ego tells you that you have to be a certain way for love, tell that ego it is wrong. You have an amazing spirit, so let that spirit shine its light on this often dark world. Hold your head high. Be proud of who you are…you’re an original that deserves love at every turn.

Happy Flipping

I understand that it is important to be thankful. But recently I’ve grown to have an even deeper understanding of thankfulness. I’ve read that your mind cannot hold a positive and negative thought at the same time; I’ve put it to the test and found this to be true. If I start to get upset or feel some fear or doubt creeping its way into my pea brain, I stop and remember what I’ve learned. If my brain can’t handle negative and positive thoughts at once, I simply flip it. Flip it? Yes. For example, if I catch myself upset then I instantly start saying things that I am thankful for. When I flip it, I start to notice a shift in my presence. There are times when the flip has to sink in a bit, but it is well worth the time and effort. If I can flip my outcome sooner than later, I’m all for it! Make a list of all the things you’re thankful for. Making a daily thankful list is a great way to keep yourself grounded and humble, but it is also a great way to have things already in place for when you need an instant flip. Keep repeating your list until you flip yourself into the enjoyable day you’re meant to have.

Take Time

 Think back to when Jesus was on earth. You may read the bible, watch a movie or hear a church service and get a glimpse of what the times and experiences were like while Jesus was here. We may hear about the spiritual teachings he gave the disciples or how he performed miracles, but there is one area in these stories that I think gets over looked way too often.

As pure and good as Jesus was, as lovely as Jesus was, as close to heaven as he was, the one thing even Jesus had to do was go get quiet and pray/spend time with the father. If Jesus had to make time on earth to spend time in prayer, then it’s a must for……little ol’ non-performing miracle making me.

It’s important to be silent. Present yourself to God and honor him by spending some of your time with him.  Could you imagine hanging out with a friend or family member all day without them ever acknowledging you? How would that make you feel?  Our heaven family is always with us; shouldn’t we honor them with some recognition? Our days can get so busy and we can have so much on our minds, but remember that God has us on his mind and he wants you to come to him…as he cares for you so much.

Stand By Me

"I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me."

Psalm 16:7-8 NLT

The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:23-24

God is always with us. Life has ups and downs like a rollercoaster, but our God is always our guided companion. Miss Elle has moments of doubt, worry, or concerns like anyone else; yet, I have to remind myself just like I want you to remind yourself that you are loved, guided, and cared for. God loves each one of us so much, and why wouldn’t he…were his kids! I wash away the feeling of needing to be ‘good enough’ because I know and you should know, we are already enough, already loved, already accepted, and already valuable.

No matter what my life looks like or what situation I am feeling or experiencing, I know that God understands me. God is caring for me and wants to comfort me. God is a good God and I know he watches over us. God sees our hearts, and he sees our beauty. Look at yourself the way God looks at you…which is wonderful and wonderfully made.

You are not an afterthought, you are here with a divine assignment. God has a great plan for you, even if you don’t know what that plan is or how your dreams will come to pass, rest in knowing God has all the answers and he knows how to give you favor.

Thank you God for always being by my side.

New Quotes

“Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God — never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to anything.”

~Louis H. Evans1

  Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

"I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need."

~Philippians 4:13 NLT

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

~E E Cummings

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

~Confucius

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life."

~Buddha

Realize that God sees the big picture. God is always with you and he is guiding you. Be thankful when things don’t go your way; you don’t know what God sees, he could be protecting you in the greatest way possible. Talk to God, thank God, and wait on his timing.

Peaceful Scenario

I’ve learned that you have to deal with the issues that are holding you back from reaching your full potential. Life will keep giving you the same test over and over and over again until you pass. Instead of chasing after a scenario that you think will make you happy, learn to be happy with your current situation. For example, if you are single and want to be in the relationship because you think that being in a relationship will make you happy…pause. Reflect on why you think you need a relationship to be happy? Do you feel more complete in a relationship? Do you feel validated in a relationship?  What does being a relationship look like for you? Why have your relationships failed in the past? Then pause again. Looking outward for happiness is not where you want to be, instead look within for your answers and completeness. Work on your scenario…whatever the scenario it is you’re facing. When you stop grabbing at what you want, and you truly love and accept the moment you’re in, that’s when life will seemingly hand you the once desire of your heart; if it doesn’t then there must be a better plan and you’re already at peace: win win. It’s not always easy to find happiness and love in a situation you want to change so badly, but it’s necessary. You can do it; you can change, improve, grow and come up higher.

Vampires

Vampires are such a popular theme within entertainment. Traditionally a vampire is there to suck your blood, right? You recognize vampires by their pale face, fang teeth and black and red silk cape.

But to me, a real vampire lives beyond the studio lot of Hollywood. There are people who walk around seemingly nice and clever, but once they have you in there corner their dark side emerges. They may not have those classic k-9 fang teeth, but there words are sharp as knifes. Their attitude is dark and damp ready to spoil and stuck the life out of anyone else’s happiness. They get jealous and petty at the spark of someone else’s good fortune. Do you know anyone who ruins your day with their negative outlook? Have you ever met someone that you felt drained by their whining and complaining? Have you felt as though someone has sucked you dry with their doom and gloom behavior?

Let me say that there is light (and remember vampires hate the light). If you are experiencing a vampire, remember that their attitude is not your attitude; there thoughts don’t have to become your thoughts. Shine your light and hold your head high, and walk away slowly. Developing your own healthy mental perspective on life, which includes a right attitude, positive thinking, and speaking optimistic will be your vampire anti-dote.

Shopping

I had a shopping experience that I often think about and would like to pass the story on to you. I was shopping with someone and they were standing in line for the register. I was not purchasing anything, so I decided to step aside and look at some of the fun items around me. I moved out of the line, because it was a little busy, and it was my way of making the line feel less crowded.

A stranger lady was standing next to me waiting for the cashier lady to address her needs. The stranger lady was standing next to me and I observed that she was a little annoyed to wait.

I said to her as cutely as I could, ‘are you exercising your patience?’

She replied cutely, ‘no, she’s exercising my patience!’

I just smiled and went about my in-store browsing. But what I was thinking was, ‘you missed my point, stranger lady.’

In that moment, the cashier was busy and it caused the stranger lady to wait. There was nothing to do but wait. It’s in small disguise moments, that you learn how to love, listen, forgive, encourage or in this case be patient. This was an exercise moment that the stranger lady couldn’t recognize. Recognize your moments. Open your eyes to  what’s going on around you and be mindful of the lessons that come with each experience….

Have You Ever

Have you ever felt like you needed to be a certain way to be loved or admired? Have you ever felt as though you had to be perfect? Have you ever wished you had someone else’s life? Have you ever wondered why others around you receive the blessings you’ve been praying for as you’re waiting on God’s timing?

There are a lot of ‘have you ever’ questions in life. To some degree it’s normal or common to have such thoughts, but it’s not healthy to measure your whole life or existence on these, ‘have you ever questions.’  

If a friend or family member is upset or comes to you with these questions, I’m sure you’re there to comfort them and remind them how great they are…you’re their personal cheerleader pulling them out of there funk, right? Why is it so hard to be our own cheerleader? Why is it easier for others to see our value or talents while we stay down on ourselves?  

Each one of us has a purpose. We all have something valuable to contribute and it is not healthy to look at others for validation. You are loved and accepted as is. You don’t have to be perfect; just do your best, and let God’s perfect love, love you into wholeness. You don’t have someone else’s life and you will never have someone else’s life, so start enjoying the one you have and be thankful for life. I’ve come to learn that sometimes when you admire someone, you discover at some point their life is not as rosy as you thought.

God is not harsh on you, he loves you….so learn to love and accept yourself; View God this way, have you ever?