“DO THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT COME FROM YOUR HEART. When you do, you won’t be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things. On the contrary, you’ll be overwhelmed with what comes back.”
-Morrie Schwarts (Tuesdays With Morrie)
Self-Confidence Quotes
There is a whole galaxy within you, waiting to be unleashed. Let the universe wait no more.
Take a very good look at the person before the mirror today. There will never be another such as she(he).
“I bare my nakedness to the world that the world may see who I am; not the mask that hides my flaws,not the mask that hides my beauty. I bask in the light and I take off the mask!”
I walked among the deities and discovered to my surprise… I am beautiful, I am one of them!
I am blessed this moment, I am embraced, I surrender only to love.
Let nothing frighten you, for you are after all, a child of eternity.
Look not on what you lack,but on the gift that you possess. You are the only one capable of harnessing such power!
God does not take us only when we are lovable,but moreso when we are most in need of love.
Make peace with your shadow. Unless you are able to,you will never dare venture in the light.
I am not my body. I am not my brain. I am more, much more and I realize the “me” which no other can replace as I face the mirror each morning, smiling for a brand new day of awakening.
It is not enough that you know yourself and what you’re worth. You have to show the world who you really are.
There was a time when I couldn’t forgive myself, that time when the burden of guilt was multiplied a hundred times more by the world that knew nothing but condemn those who are already down. But now is not that time, for it has long come to pass. Now is the time of acceptance, of love, and of believing in myself despite whatever accusations others may try to pass against me.
Judge me not for you do not know me. And even if you could step into my shoes, you still wouldn’t be able to tell what potentials or hidden worlds could arise from within this soul.
Being unique is important because that makes you the only living person who can offer the world what you have. So why be afraid if you don’t fit in at times? Be proud that you can stand out! – Lifted from my article LESSONS ON SELF-CONFIDENCE
I am no less of a person by flaws that you see in me; I am no lesser for I am not those flaws. I know who I am, my flaws and my strengths, and there is no better person who can handle me but me.
Have you seen a seed? Was it at all that attractive to you? Wait awhile and see that seed grow. See it bear fruit, see its flowers bloom. See? I’ve caught you by surprise! I have just astounded you.
When I told you I could rebuild myself, I wasn’t able to tell the truth. I couldn’t rebuild me. I have just been reborn!
If I have failed you, it was not because I wanted to, but because I’ve failed myself first. Rest assured I will love myself more, and in so doing I would not hurt you ever again.
Look at me! See how much God’s power is to be made manifest!
I am of God, a soul that can never be destroyed. How can it when God can never cease being God?
God loves me, unconditionally. And for me, He leaves the 99 sheep behind so He can find me and make me realize just how much I matter, just how much I am loved.
The greatest gift we can give to our loved ones is the gift of knowing that we are well, and that we are joyful.
Heaven is knowing deep in your soul how you were conceived and how you were bathed in loved. It is tapping unto the endless reserve of mercy and grace when shadows come looming over you.It is knowing that however great the challenges ahead seem to be, there is a Higher Power that will see you through.
This Is My Moment!
This is my moment!
This is my now.
I live in it,
I breathe in it,
I move,
I sing,
I dance.
This is life,
this is forever –
the rain now pouring over me
will never be the same again,
so I cry
I hope
I laugh like a little child.
I look at the sunrise as though it is my first,
as though it will be my last,
I pray
I smile
I love!
I taste the fresh air
as though I’m born again,
I smell the rose
as though an angel gave it to me.
I am here,
I am loved,
I am seen.
This is my moment,
this is the very moment
I BELIEVE!
There Are No Squares In Nature
Come to think of it, when have you ever seen the following?
A square leaf
A square fruit
A square tree
A square raindrop
Coming to think of it, nature, unlike man, does not produce
Square moons
Square suns
Square planets
Or square galaxies
There are no square rainbows
Nor square flowers
Nor square heads
that could fit inside a square box
Yet more often than not, that’s exactly what we do.
We try to put everything inside a box
We try to make all things black and white
We try to make everything spic and span
as though we could put a square peg inside a round hole
and then congratulate ourselves for the feat we have done
Since the dawn of man-made technology,
we have certainly lived in a world of squares:
square houses
square buildings
square computer screens
We write on square papers using square tables
We sleep on square beds and enter upon square doors
Where has all these taken us?
These square things have made a war with our own hearts
And against all mysteries that enrich and empower us
The next time someone tries to put your immortal soul inside a small box
Kindly remind yourself:
There are no square stars in the Universe.
I pray I could learn
to look at people,
the way God sees each one of us –
to be able to forego the little mistakes,
maybe even the big ones
to be able to see weaknesses
turned into strength
to know something’s hurting
and yet know that the hurt
would be healed in time
to look beyond judgment
to see with an understanding heart
to see what’s beautiful
to appreciate what’s good
to not measure anybody’s destiny
with their present plight
but to see real hope for everyone
the way God sees us
To know that orphans
have their Father
To know that those imprisoned
have One who will set them free
To see how the poor
will one day bask in God’s abundance
To see the brokenhearted
in days when God Himself
will cradle them upon His lap
To be able to see with God’s own eyes
is to see with gladness,
with hope,
and with a love so strong
it could never ever fail!
I urge you to know
who you really are;
in your eyes,
in your heart.
Know thyself,
especially your strengths.
Know that which is
beautiful.
Know that which is
loveable.
Know that which has made you
the unique and wonderful
person that you are!
Loving Yourself Through God’s Eyes
There are times when no matter how hard we try, we feel unable to love ourselves. In such times, we feel its so much easier to love other people. After all, they’re not with us 24 hours in a day We don’t see all their weaknesses. We don’t have to live with their regrets. And we’re not the ones who have to carry their hurts.
In such times, we feel overwhelmed. We don’t have enough strength to accept this person we see in the mirror everyday.
We don’t have enough love to love her. We don’t have enough strength to uplift her when she couldn’t believe in herself anymore.
During such times, I’ve known of a way to help you continue improving your relationship with yourself. And that way is to see yourself through God’s own eyes.
In God’s eyes, there is no judgment, there is only acceptance. In God’s eyes, there is no pain too hard to bear nor weaknesses too weak to be overcome by His insurmountable strength.
God can embrace us wholeheartedly, opening us up yet sustaining us and healing us at the same time. God sees all our potentials. God sees our light when all that we can see are our shadows.
God sees this person who falls but who has the power to get up again and again. God sees this person who gets hurt but does not become hard or bitter, only softer, more resilient to change.
God sees you. God cherishes you. God’s eyes love you more than anyone could ever love you as you really are.
Separate Your Mistakes from Your Self Image
Sometimes its so easy not to separate our behavior from our image of ourselves, to separate the sin from the sinner, so they say.
When we make blunders, we feel we’re failures. When we have broken relationships, we feel we are broken too and worthless.
However, if we truly desire to improve our relationship with ourselves, we must learn to practice acknowledging our errors without eroding our overall belief in our worth.
So you failed in your exams, does it mean you haven’t learned anything? So you weren’t accepted for a job, does it mean no employer would later on trust you and consider you a valuable asset to his company?
Things like those happen. Things change. What should remain intact is our respect and love for ourselves, our belief that we are God’s children and no matter how many mistakes we make along the way of growing up, we are still destined for Grace and eternal Joy!
The above post Self-Confidence Quotes was written by Jocelyn Soriano for www.itakeoffthemask.com
Quotes on StillnessLearning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance. – Morgan Freeman
Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot.
Let your mind and soul be at ease.
Don’t grasp and grab for the magic and miracles.
When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles, and magic you’re seeking will find you.
~ Melodie Beattie
“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
Hermann Hesse
“I am glad that so much movement happens in this stillness.”
Richard Land
“The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.” – Bruce Lee
“If a man would travel far along the mystic road, he must learn to desire God intensely but in stillness, passively and yet with all his heart and mind and strength.” – Aldous Huxley
“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.” – Chuang Tzu
“The sound of ‘gentle stillness’ after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God.” – Jim Elliot
“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” – Amy Carmichael
“One’s action ought to come out of an achieved stillness: not to be mere rushing on.” – D.H. Lawrence
“Bring yourself back to the point quite gently. And even if you do nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back a thousand times, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed.” – ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, ON MEDITATION
“You become what you think about all day long and those days eventually become your lifetime.” – Wayne Dyer
“It has often occurred to me that a seeker after truth has to be silent.” – Gandhi
Sshhhhh… Listen closely… Ever so closely and still. For even closed doors may whisper unto us a secret, and even dead-ends may point us closer to pathways we’ve long been searching for. – Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
You must rest, O soul, to receive your heart’s desire. Slow the beating of your heart over concerns for your personal care. Place the storm of your individual troubles on God’s altar of everyday trials, and the same night, the Lord will appear to you. His rainbow will extend across the subsiding flood, and in your stillness you will hear the everlasting music. – Streams in The Desert
I am Your Rock, higher than the brutal billows of the sea. Stand on Me and no storm shall cause you to fall. I shall be your fortress, your high tower, your ever present shield. Walk by faith, not by sight. Your eyes shall see turmoil all around you, but your faith shall feel the calm that I bless you with today. – Bo Sanchez, Embraced
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
-Psalm 91 (NIV)
“Be still, and know that I am God…”-Psalm 46
Sadness Quotes About LifeStrive always to be stronger than your fears and your hurts.-Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of
weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten
thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming
grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
-Washington Irving
The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places. – ERNEST HEMINGWAY
He was better to me than all my hopes…better than all my fears; He made a bridge of my broken works,and a rainbow of my tears… Streams In The Desert
..For He does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow..-Lamentations 3:31:33
For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.Though He brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.-Lamentations 3
But if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I refrain from speaking- how much of it goes away? -JOB 16:6
Although I have afflicted you…I will afflict you no more. – Nahum 1:12
In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. – Psalm 118:5
I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed, they will turn back in sudden disgrace. – Psalm 6:6-10
“Yes, I understand why things had to happen this way. I understand his reason for causing me pain. But mere understanding does not chase away the hurt. It does not call upon the sun when dark clouds have loomed over me. Let the rain come then if it must come! And let it wash away the dust that hurt my eyes!” -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
http://itakeoffthemask.com/words-of-wisdom/are-you-hurting
It’s Okay to cry
hide not those teary eyes
for they are beautiful
just as they are. – Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
http://itakeoffthemask.com/words-of-wisdom/its-okay-to-cry/
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. – Psalm 69:20
Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? – Psalm 94:9
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. – Psalm 147:3-4
The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope. – Lamentations 3: 19-24
I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor Daniel, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you… – Daniel 9:18
Melancholy is the burden that I have to carry, the cross I have to bear now and then so I can continue to be a bearer of JOY. That in my pain I may yet understand the pain of others. And that in receiving God’s comfort, I may know how to comfort those who also bleed.-Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
My child,you are broken. Unless you know that you are broken yourself,it will be severely laborious to love the broken people around you. You will be harsh and exacting towards them. But because you want others to like you,you will always attempt to hide your weaknesses from others. Let me strip away your masks,so that you may know who you really are.And when this truth sets you free,then shall you be free to genuinely love. Before this occurs,your love will be offered by the flask,not by the torrents of a river.-BoSanchez,Embraced
It is our wounds that create in us a desire to reach for miracles. The fulfillment of such miracles depends on whether we let our wounds pull us down or lift us up towards our dreams. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.-John 14
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. – Kahlil Gibran
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
-Isaiah 53
When I had my sheep, I was happy, and I made those around me happy. People saw me coming and welcomed me, he thought. But now I’m sad and alone. I’m going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I’m going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I’m going to hold on to what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world. – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Do we know our poor people? Do we know the poor in our house, in our family? Perhaps they are not hungry for a piece of bread. Perhaps our children, husband, wife, are not hungry, or naked, or dispossessed, but are you sure there is no one there who feels unwanted, deprived of affection? – Mother Teresa, Heart of Joy
Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. – Psalm 4:1
Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either. – Golda Meir
Unless a man be broken, he would never reach his limits. Unless he reaches his limits, he would never find the limitless God. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
We are fragile beings,yet we often act as though we couldn’t be hurt,and as though we couldn’t hurt other people. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
Christ is building His kingdom with the broken things of earth. People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and unbroken things in life to build their kingdoms, but God is the God of the unsuccessful – the God of those who have failed. Heaven is being filled with earth’s broken lives, and there is no “bruised reed” that Christ cannot take and restore to a glorious place of blessing and beauty. – Streams in The Desert
They were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. – Psalm 107
Before I was born, the Lord chose me and appointed me to be his servant. He made my words as sharp as a sword… I said “I have worked, but how hopeless it is! I have used up my strength but have accomplished nothing.” Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause; he will reward me for what I do. – Isaiah 49:1-2,4
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.-Isaiah 40
Greatness is not in being unbroken, but in being a blessing even after being broken, like bread, like a seed that dies yet rises again. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
God has never led me through a difficulty in which there is no resulting joy that far surpasses the difficulty I’ve been through. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
“I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile
All sense of nearness, human and divine;
The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart,
The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine;
But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone,
…The everlasting arms upheld my own….
…”I thank You Lord, You were too wise to heed
My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,
Since these rich gifts Your bounty has bestowed
Have brought me more than all I asked or thought;
Giver of good, so answer each request
With Your own giving, BETTER than my BEST.”
(Excerpted from Streams in the Desert: L.B. Cowman/Jim Reimann)
It is through the most difficult trials that God often brings the sweetest discoveries of Himself. -Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
You never cry alone, for God is with you. He alone understands your tears and the wounds of your heart. – Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
God’s breath is like a fresh wind that renews us. Frail and weak as we are,we have hope. We find healing. – Joyce, itakeoffthemask.com
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult…Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. – Proverbs 12:16,18
May you guide my tongue O Lord, that it may bring healing instead of pain…