Believe

Quotes

"It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly."
- Isaac Asimov -

"I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go."

- Sheng Yen -

These one sentence quotes are so simple and yet so impactful; great ideas and concepts are usually simple.

Whatever life brings you, be in the moment to really deal with it. If you find yourself facing difficulties, face it like Isaac says. Facing problems help you shed light on them and in return they lose power. And like Sheng says, once you deal with your situation, let it go. Don’t dwell on a problem.

In order to move forward, we have to stop looking back. If the past wants to rehearse itself in your mind, tell it… “Oh, hello….it’s you again, huh. I’m sorry but my mind is at capacity, I don’t have room for you, but have a nice day.”

Simply put…don’t entertain the negative. Focus on what you do want, and the bright future you have in front of you.

-Elle-

Yourself

I read something that really challenged me. It challenged me to reflect. My hope is to inspire you to think differently, see things differently than before; in an uplifting, spiritual, growth reflecting experience.

Do you sense that life is pushing you in a direction that is causing you to really know who you are, and what you are really made of?

There needs to an alignment with what is raw, what is real, what is true. We need to do exactly as it says in Hebrews 12:1: We are to “…strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight)…”

What is weighing you down?
What needs to be stripped away?

The answers, the healing, the faith, the love that you seek is only found in one place: YOU.

You have everything you ever need to be successful, to overcome, to move forward, to heal, and to inspire. Stop looking outside yourself for approval. Everything you need, will find it’s was to your center. Question is: Are you able to sit long enough to connect to that center?

God keeps reminding me that HE is always with me. God is not far way. I feel it’s important to pass this along to you too. That center is where you need to rest in God.

Challenge yourself. Strip yourself.

Center yourself. Meet yourself.

Travels

If you’ve ever peeked at my profile, then you know that I live in the United States. Some of the most amazing National Parks are here in America. I was fortunate enough to spend my Easter at one our National treasures, Yosemite.

As I traveled the mountains, I couldn’t help but think of God. Nature is an amazing reflection of His work. The same God that created such magnificent beauty, is the same God that created you and me. I’m going to take you along my travels….with some of the pictures I personally took. Even though you may not have been with me that day, you can travel with me and enjoy God’s sculptures.

HAPPY EASTER

I wish ALL of you a HAPPY EASTER weekend!

Please enjoy this weekend. IT is a weekend full of love. God loves us so much. HE loves YOU so much. I suggest that if you are able to see a decorative cross with Jesus hanging on it, then take a few minutes to really look at that cross. Study the cross with your eyes. You don’t have to say a word, just look. Hopefully…something magical will happen.

With Easter eggs and jelly beans….have a happy and safe holiday!

Yours,

Elle

Good Friday

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures."
~ Joseph Addison

Happy Good Friday!

 Take moments throughout this whole Easter weekend to reflect on how much the Lord loves each and every one of us.

Quote

"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."

~William Penn

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31

^“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.^”

Allow

We shouldn’t worry about pain. God is in control. God says that He is close to the broken hearted and that He will turn your ashes into beauty. Trust that the pain will be used for something beautiful in your life. Allow it to be used for something beautiful in your life.

That pain could be the very thing, the very existence of thrusting you into something so divine, something so much bigger than you could ever dream of. Allow it to thrust you into greatness!

Know

If you’re praying, then know without doubt, that God is coming through for YOU!

Believe!

Breathe

Right Now

I want you to take a deep breath and exhale

Let go

Just let go in this moment of the deep breath

Let yourself be

Doesn’t this Feel Good?

Let’s try it one more time

Right Now

I want you to take a deep breath and exhale

Let go

Just let go in the moment of the deep breath

Let yourself be

·      

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Allow yourself to have small interchanges of

release…just as you did.

The Bible says that you are made of sound mind!

Enter the calm

And enjoy the rest of the day

Hope my readers are having a good weekend!

Lent is almost over; I’m so excited!

Toothpaste

Who do you share your address with? Look around. Do other heartbeats surround your living space? You may live with family, roommates, pets, or room with out-of-town guest for the weekend. Even if you live alone, I’m sure at some point in your life you have shared living quarters with someone.

What does it mean to live with someone? Stop and think about this question. Hanging out with someone, working long hour shifts with someone, being friends with someone for years, or even having good next door neighbors is nothing when you compare it to living with someone. What you I mean when I say….it’s nothing when you compare it to living with someone….

I simply mean that living together brings insightful intimacy.  

We all have thoughts, energy, moods, behavior, rituals, habits, norms and patterns that make up our unique selves. We can learn pretty quickly how someone ticks once we carry in our box of belongings and set up shop.

Think of all the little things that you can learn about a person when you live with them.

What time do they like to eat dinner? Do they squeeze the toothpaste tube from the top or the bottom? Do they leave their underwear on the floor? What side of the bed they sleep on? Do they like to clean the dishes right after dinner or do they wait until the food sticks to the pans….causing you to soak them over night? Even my dog has patterns. Ya know, my dog will only eat dinner when the family sits down to have dinner…and it doesn’t matter if the whole family is together or if you’re dinning alone; when you sit down at the table, then she will eat. Talk about a family dog!

Does this sound silly?

No, because I do have a point.

Insightful intimacy. I feel that we need to approach our relationship with the Lord, as if we live in the same house. I think we need to get to know Him in the same way we know our live-in occupants. I think that if we really knew the character of the Lord, we would have a more peaceful life.

Learn the Lords ways. Learn His character. Learn His mercy, grace, forgiveness and love. You need to have an intimate relationship with the Lord; he craves to have that with you. Pray, read the bible, go to a good church, read inspiring articles and books based on His teachings. Get to know Him. The Lord is always with you anyhow, so why not embrace this presence.

Who knows, you may just learn that the Lord never puts the cap back on the toothpaste!

Luck Be a Lady

Who is this lady luck I hear about? She sounds a little mysterious and seductive. Does she live in casinos, lounge bars, and 007 movies? Is she real or is she just an idea in our heads?

We all want to live in the luck corner of the world or at least find the gold at the end of the rainbow. Why do we always look outward for the luck? What about looking within for the answer or should I say winning hand. We all have problems, but God is right there, living in our hearts to whisper the solution. Even if we feel like God is far away and you want your luck to come in now, remember God never leaves. If we stop looking for outward answers for our problems, we’ll know that God, the one who knows all, already knows your situation and already has a great plan to solve it.

We see someone rolling in luck and start to compare it to our dried-out-of luck lives. That is not healthy. Never compare your life to someone else. Never judge someone else or even wish you had someone else’s life. We all have a cross to carry. Our crosses are there to help us, stretch us into stronger, wiser, people. I heard someone say, “all saints have a past and sinners have a future.”

There is no such thing as bad luck, only bad perception. View every experience as a learning lesson. And if you see someone else get lucky in an area you’ve been praying about, don’t get upset; instead say thank you God, because if you did it for them, then I know you can do it for me…thank you for working in my life!

If I reach out to God and develop a relationship with him, then I know he will help me and protect me, and that’s the best luck of all.

In fact, I laugh at lady luck…how she’ll come and go whenever she pleases, leaving me to feel the highs and lows of life. For I am the lady of expected blessings! Blessings beat luck every time. I choose to be focused on God and all his abundance. God never leaves, and the bible says, all things are possible with God.

If I was a gambling woman, I’d bet it all on God.

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work — and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't."~ Lucille Ball

Thank You

I want to thank all of my readers who have prayed for me. Prayer is powerful. The fact that you took the time to pray for someone you’ve never met, brings tears of joy to my eyes.

You loved, and being on the receiving end of that love leaves me beyond thankful.

Thank you for being there for me.

XOXO-Elle

(My regular posting will resume tomorrow!)

Request

I hope you don’t mind…

But I have a request.

If you would…

I would like for you to pray for me.

I don’t want to get too personal…

But I am waiting for a big opportunity to come my way.

God knows what I am referring to…

So if you would, please pray that this opportunity comes my way with ease and peace…and now!

Thank you all so very much!

XOXO-Elle

Quote

"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up."
~ Booker T. Washington

By now, you can probably tell that Elle likes her quotes. The quote above speaks to me. On one hand it tells me about how I spend my energy or as Booker puts it, strength. Am I using my time, my energy, my strength to push me down or am I using it to pull me up? Am I using my time, my energy, my strength to push someone down or am I pulling someone up?

Pushing down might be gravities friend, but it won’t be mine!

For You…

This is for you. All of this is for you. Life is speaking to you…can you hear it? Are you pushing it away or are you inviting the conversation? What conversation? The conversation your soul is longing to have with you.

We bask in the happy times, the romance, the prosperity, the charm of success. Life is bringing you magical moments. If you’re smart, you’ll realize that everything is designed to get you to understand your true strength and true potential. If you view life this way, maybe you’ll stop viewing this to be a cruel cold world, and view it as your northern star.

We can observe and gain insight from the high-times of our journey, yes. But realistically, high times bring stagnant growth.

The strife, the pain, the struggle is where it’s at. This is where the conversation begins. You start to look inward for answers, for determination, for championship!

Why does it take the struggles in life to get your attention? Because, when things are going your way, you’re too busy ignoring your soul with play and delight to ever check in.

Don’t wait for life to throw you a massive curve ball to finally start gaining insight to your divine being.

But, Elle…Life has already thrown me a massive curve ball!!! Good. Good? Yes, let the teaching begin. Next time life throws something at you, (and it will throw something at you) you’ll be just that more prepared. You’ll see how the past has given you strength for your future.

I’m not telling you anything I don’t already know…this, this is for you!

Quote

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch — what makes you go beyond the norm."
~ Cicely Tyson

Waiting for Print

Question from yesterday:

What are you believing for?

Maybe it’s the time period in which we live in, but when I’m believing for something to happen, I want it to happen…now!

It feels as if God dangles the pretty carrot in front of me…as I parade around waiting for my good behavior to be rewarded. Have you ever felt this way?

The combination of wanting things to happen now while forced to perform the waiting dance, becomes draining. Is this draining feeling God’s problem? No. It’s my problem. I’m the one who is supposed to be trusting.

If I’m believing for something to happen, for God to come through for me, then I have to go to HIM, give HIM my petitions, and start believing HE is working behind the scenes.

The demand is to want it now; that demand really isn’t us, it’s our ego. We want what we want when we want it. Right? I don’t believe this is how God works. Our ego drains us, not God.

God is a good God. Believe and know that God wants the very best for you. Best laid plans have blue prints, and there must be an organized pecking order to execute that plan; things need to be done before we see our desires fulfilled… if not, what chaos!

God has the master blue print. It’s usually in the waiting time that we see growth in ourselves. We can certainly develop patience in these times. We can develop a deeper truer since of faith and belief during our waiting time. Waiting for something can cause much more appreciation once you receive it, then if it was easily given or handed to you.

God comes through. Keep praying. Keep asking. Remind God of HIS promises. Find scriptures that fall in line with what you are believing for. If God is making you wait…realize the wait comes with purpose. Don’t give up, because with God, things can only get better!

Don’t feel blue…

God has the blue print…

Designed just for you!

Question

What are you believing for?

Quote

"I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all."
~Leo Rosten

Quote

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

~ Gandhi

Yes, I agree with Gandhi! If you want to see more love, more understanding, peace, joy, or anything that helps with humanity…display that in your own life. If others see you act with more heart, it might inspire them to change too.

Measured Words

Mark 4:24:

“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.”

This is what I’m talking about, people!!! I have talked about the importance of a healthy thought life and speaking habits in past posts. The proof is in the pudding…or scripture, I should say.

It says be careful. Be careful what you hear. Why? It is my belief that what you hear, what you say is a form of meditation. You need to be hearing the word of God, you need to be hearing encouraging, uplifting messages, and God’s promises. Negativity and complaining can become an easy trap to fall into…so be careful!

It’s like the phrase…you get what you give. What you hear, or even what you say will be measured. Do you want to measure negativity? Do you want to measure positivity? Whatever you measure is what you will get, and the scripture says…and even more!!!

Let your faith be measured…

Let your hope be measured…

Let your trust be measured…

How do you measure faith, hope, and trust??? By bringing life to the words you choose to use in your circumstances.

Pray with Cheer

Are you praying for something?

Are you waiting for God to come through for you?

Do you look around and wonder why others get what you’re praying for so easily?

 Remember, that God hears your prayers. Thank HIM for working in your life. And when you see others and you start to feel like, why not me or when is it going to my turn…

Tell yourself this: 

If God did it for them…HE can do it for me!

Don’t give up on prayer. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t give up on your breakthrough.

Don’t give up…Cheer up!

Quote

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."~Helen Keller

Today

Focus on the highlights of your day

&

Live in the beauty

Superwoman

If you’re anything like me, you know what I mean when I say, I have a superwoman complex.

I have always tried. I like everything to go well. I want things to run smoothly. I like the feeling that all is right in my journey. On one hand, it’s good to try your best, in all that you do. It is good to strive to be a person of excellence. But, can doing your best actually hinder you?

In my journey, the answer is yes. Yes, putting my best foot forward has hurt me. Validation and love does not come from perfection. Love and validation comes from being God’s son or daughter.

Trying your best can mean you’re trying to control, which in turn means, you are not trusting the Lord to work things out for you.

Learning to let go and enjoy the day sometimes means that you have to give up the need to please; the need to please everyone around you or to please your own needs to feel comfortable.

It is my strong belief that the Lord has told me that I was standing in my own way. This broke my heart. I don’t mean to stand in my own way; my only intent is to have everything go well. But, as I have realized, my need to put my best foot forward has actually caused me to stand in my own way, and blocked God from working. If I stop and relax, trust and believe, and truly lean on the Lord, then I can take the pressure off my shoulders to be superwoman.

If I am truly honest with myself, I can see how my good intentions have in reality blocked blessing from flowing into my life. I need to relax. Do you need to relax? Do we need to surrender more? Do we need to fold our cape up and store it away? Yes. Each day, I will try to surrender a little more, until I have unchained myself from the need to conquer perfection. I remind myself, and I remind you, that everything is alright. The bonus part is…

I‘m a woman of God and that already makes me pretty super!