Cookie Gonzalez

Inspired to encourage others, share happiness, and help you enjoy the little things in life. :)

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How To Be Truly Beautiful

 "The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides." - Audrey Hepburn

 Millions of people today struggle to be beautiful. They try their best to look like the person on the cover of the latest edition of their favourite magazine. But, how do we really achieve true beauty? Is it really about having the best looks in town? Or is there something more?

 So, here are the 3 simple-but-not-really steps on how to be TRULY BEAUTIFUL. And, guess what? They all have something to do with L O V E. <3

1. Love Yourself

 Okay, how do we start this? Ah. I know...

 YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! Yes, the guys reading this are also beautiful, or "handsome" is the word for you. The only reason why you can't see the beauty in yourself is because you can't accept that you really are. Don't make the world's standards your standards. Your standards should be God's standards and He says you're beautiful. A good or bad selfie does not define your beauty. The amount of likes you get does not define your beauty. What you do can't define your beauty. God defines your beauty, and when you learn to love yourself, you learn to see that He definitely did not mess up when He made you. You were born with beauty.

 True beauty is not in the genes or jeans.

 Here is the common problem with most of us.. Note that.. Us. I'm talking to myself here too. Sometimes, we look in the mirror and say we weren't born with the "best" features. Our waistline may not be the best number. Our skin may not be the smoothest or whitest or tannest. Our body or face may not be evenly proportioned. Well, before we can do our best to improve the way we look.. We really do have to accept and love ourselves first. Because, for example, if you started getting in shape or buying nicer clothes or learning how to put makeup on and you've never accepted yourself, it will never be enough for you. You have to start loving yourself from the very beginning. Does this make any sense? I hope it does. Just remember that true beauty is already in you. You just have to see it. The only reason why you should probably workout or learn how to put makeup on is because you know your value, and you want to present yourself in the best way for yourself and not others.

2. Love Others

 Hear me out. Real beauty doesn't give or speak ugly things. This signifies that if you want to be beautiful, you better start doing and saying the right stuff. In my opinion, a truly beautiful person doesn't backbite or gossip. Oooh burn. A really beautiful person says beautiful things to and about others. Don't you agree? So, if you really want true beauty shooting out of your fingertips, be good to others. Love them genuinely. Give. Encourage. Help. Have patience with them. It may be hard, but that's how you get something with value. Beauty has value and is worth something. It's worth the hard work of loving those around you, because you're worth it too.

3. Love God

 Yes, true beauty comes from loving God. Why? I don't know. HAHA. Just kidding. I mean, isn't He the ultimate source of all beauty in this world (including YOU)? Loving your Creator makes you see the beauty in His Creation. You.

 By loving God sincerely, you inherit the beautiful things that come only from Him. There is beauty in being wise. There is beauty in being honest. There is beauty in being considerate. There is beauty in being selfless. There are many more I could mention, but my point is these things can only come from loving God. His way is beautiful, and when you follow that, you begin to have these beautiful things in your life. To be honest, what's the purpose of having a pretty face if your character stinks? You get the point, right?

 When you love God, you find your security in Him. Because, isn't it better to base your beauty in something that lasts forever? With His love flowing through you, you are able to say this – "I am beautiful." 

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The Bacon Wrapped Burger from Zark's. It was okay in my opinion. Not so good. Not so bad. Wish they could improve it though. :| Only then will I be happy. Lol :))

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A beautiful stack of mini banana pancakes! <3 Tasted so good!

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BLOCKED

This is kind of my first fashion blog. So, please forgive me if I'm doing it wrong. :)) Anyway, I really loved this look coz it made me feel like I was wearing a modern 90s outfit. My sister found the Tetris polo while we went shopping and said it would look great on me. Because, Tetris is one of my favorite games. I didn’t really believe her at first, but I guess she was right. :)

Apparently, the platforms I wore were too loose for me if I didn’t add any footpads. But, when I added the footpads, it was too tight.  So… FOR THE SAKE OF THE LOOK… I wore them anyway… and got blisters on my feet. Ouch. I walked like a weird penguin all day. :))

The makeup I did was the usual “Kylie Jenner” look, which I love, and the shades I have on are the ones I wear almost every time I go out.

So, there you have it. :) I hope I can post more about my style and looks in the coming months.  For Tumblr users, leave a message and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

(This last photo was a random close-up shot of my arm, and I think the guy behind me thought I was weird. Lol)

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To: The Exhausted

To: The Exhausted  

3 words

DON’T GIVE UP.

I know you’re tired of

Hoping, believing and trying.

Emotionally,

Physically, and Spiritually,

You are drained.

You feel like everything

You do is never

Good enough.

But, that’s where you’re wrong.

I see how much you

Wait and work.

You wish for people to notice

The little things you do for them.

In the end, you feel castoff.

You’re trying to survive

Every single day,

But you hardly ever live.

Your heart longs for

Appreciation and peace.

Your mind overthinks.

Hear my voice, My child.

Come to Me.

I will give you

The rest and comfort you seek.

You won’t have to work

For my approval,

Because you have been mine

From the very beginning.

I am proud of you.

I say,

DON’T GIVE UP.

For I never gave up

On you.

The people in your midst

May not see your faith,

But I do.

Take courage.

Your reward is here.

I see it.

The good you do

In secret

Matters.

You matter.

Every effort you have made

Will not be a waste.

Just surrender.

Serenity will follow.

My power is perfect

In your weakness.

I will give

The strength you so desperately need.

I can carry the weight

For you.

Just surrender.

Hope is waiting.

My love is your reward.

Would you take it?

All you have to do

Is reach out

And grasp it.

It belongs to you.

I belong to you.

Never give up, My child,

Because I never gave on you

When my arms were stretched wide,

My feet nailed down,

And My body was at its weakest.  

Child, even to my last breath

I never gave up on you.

From: The Faithful One

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To: The Insecure

To: The Insecure

Too thin or too fat

Too much or too little

Too light or too dark

Size 10 or size 0

You think you bother people

Just by being alive.

You call yourself stupid

Because of what others say

About you.

You are different

But to fit in

You try to be

Like everyone else.

Don’t try to grab attention

Just to feel

Good enough.

You are good enough.

Don’t be jealous

Of what she’s wearing

Or what he can do better.

I can’t believe that,

When you look in the mirror,

You see someone

Ugly and worthless.

Don’t let insecurity

Ruin the beauty

You were born with.

Someone loves you

The way you are

At this very moment.

This moment where you think

You’re a waste of space.

This moment where you think

Life is unfair.

Someone loves you.

That someone is Me.

Your face,

Your body,

Your hopes,

Your dreams,

Your flaws…

I see the magnificence

In you.

I created your beauty.

Yes, you aren’t perfect.

But, someone who is

Can’t stop thinking about you.

I know you’re worth more

Than a number on a scale

Or report card.

Your heart is what I gaze upon.

That’s why I died for you.

If only you could see yourself

through My eyes.

You’re beautiful.

I made you in My image.

You’re so valuable

It can’t be seen just by

Looking in a mirror or your wallet.

Be confident in who you are,

Because I am with you,

And I bought you.

You are priceless.

  The worth in you is infinite.

From: Your Wonderful Maker

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Stay Positive

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Compare Yourself to the Right Person

Aren’t we tired of comparing ourselves to other people? Whether it’s to make us feel better about ourselves or to make us feel totally insecure… Aren’t we tired of it? Comparing our lives? Our looks and bodies? Our words? Our achievements or failures? Our families? Our money and clothes? Our goals? Our attitudes? Our place in the social ladder? Our smartphones? Our Bible verse status updates? Our amount of likes or retweets? Our food? Our hobbies and skills? Our deeds? And most of all, our SINS? Comparing leads to either “I need more” or “I am more”. Comparing ourselves to others becomes exhausting. It will eventually hurt you. If there is one person we should compare ourselves to, it’s Jesus. Jesus leads us to grace.  Overflowing grace.  It doesn’t lead us to “I need more”. It leads us to “I’m not worthy”, and He REPLIES, “Through Me, you are, because I died on the cross for you.” It doesn’t lead us to “I am more”. It leads us to “I am a new creation, because of HIS BLOOD and SACRIFICE!” Comparing ourselves to Jesus leads to “I need Him”. Jesus is a mirror that reflects us enough to see where we actually stand and how much we need His grace. Instead of striving to be like someone better than you or working to avoid being someone worse than you, we leave all the work in God’s hands. Jesus transforms us to become the person He wants us to be. The person who is completely hidden in Christ that we no longer see ourselves, our failures, or our accomplishments, but all we see is Jesus. It becomes about Him, and it’s not exhausting at all.

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I Want the World to Hear the Gospel

Being a Christian with a social media account can be dangerous. It either steals a huge amount of our time or gets us carried away with building a godly image in front of others. Plenty of people automatically act like Christians whenever they turn on their computer or smartphone and log on to their favorite social networking site/sites. I forgot who tweeted it, but someone said something like “It’s easy to act like a Christian online. Just slap a Bible verse on your bio and you’re good to go.”

There was a time where I was tangled up in this danger. I used Facebook and Twitter as a mask. I used it to seem “holy”. I posted things that I thought would help people think that I was a good and godly person. …And, it came to the point where I read the Bible only because I wanted to tweet/post something wise and profound. Ouch. That must have hurt God very much.

Why am I admitting this? I’m saying this because, first of all, God changed me. Even when I was running after a good image, He still pursued me. Second, God knocked some sense into me after spending some days away from the social world a few months ago. I saw more of God when I finally read the Bible without thinking “This is so tweet-able.” or “I’ll get lots of likes when I post this.”

My point is that God did not give us social media to make us look good and holy. God gave us social media as a tool, not a mask. We should use our social accounts to bring praise to God, not to ourselves. When we spend our quiet time with God, our minds should focus on Him alone, and our spirits must drown in His grace. Because, yes, the world can judge us by looking at our status updates… But, our God judges us by looking at our hearts. And if we ought to post a Bible verse or a revelation from our quiet time, our motives should not be about how people see us or how many likes/retweets we can get but rather about how God can use us to share the Gospel through the internet. Our hearts should SCREAM “I want the world to hear the Gospel” and actually mean it!

Social media is a powerful tool. Use it for His glory by telling His story.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ NIV)

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One and Only

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬ NIV)

A lot of people see this Psalm verse and understand it the wrong way. And, guess what? I used to be one of them. We read this verse and think, “So, if I just go on 'loving' God and 'obeying' Him, He’ll bless me.” Me. Me. Me. That’s all we think about, and even when reading the Bible, we still think of ourselves. How funny is that? If we keep pursuing God only for the gifts, that’s not true love.

When we genuinely love someone, all we ever wish for ourselves is to be with them… Right? And, being with them becomes ENOUGH for us.

Taking delight or simply falling in love with Jesus means to truly have peace and fulfillment in Him.  Ahhh. Beautiful. Fulfillment in Christ. Satisfaction in God alone.  This means that when you begin to take delight in God and He stands as your source of happiness, there isn’t any extra room for your desires.  He becomes your One and Only. No need for His gifts.  No need for His blessings.  No need for His favor.  Jesus is all we will long for. This is true love. 

When we fall deeply in love with Jesus, our desires revolve around Jesus. This means our desires (slowly) turn into God's desires, and in the end, God grants us the desires of our heart by giving us Himself. If our hearts thirst for Jesus and nothing else, we receive Jesus, and we will be completely satisfied. (It’s amazing how God will always win.)  Just like what I said earlier, being with the one we love is ENOUGH.  JESUS IS ENOUGH. 

“When God is your deepest pleasure, He is your highest treasure.”

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I’m Dating The G

“He had finally found the right one. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life. He couldn’t help but to ask her to go on a date with him tonight. She said yes. He told her the time and place. She promised to be there. It was magic.

He stood in front of the fanciest restaurant in the city. He held a giant bouquet of the prettiest flowers in one arm and a huge box of chocolates in the other. His heart was racing. He couldn’t wait to be with her, see her, date her, and…know her. His smile was bigger than a crescent moon. He wore his favorite suit. He waited…and waited…and waited.

She never came.

She said she was sorry. She said it was an accident. She said she forgot. She said she promised to be there tonight, if he gave her another chance. He said he would. He said that even if she didn’t show up again, he’d wait the next night and the next and the next. He just wanted to know her. That night, he waited again.

She never came.

Days passed, and he was still waiting—with the same grand gifts and the same passion to know her. He knew she was probably with someone else. But every single night, he was there. His heart sank and broke every time she didn’t come, but he was never angry. She didn’t know that if she dated him, she would be the happiest girl in the world. The problem was...she never showed up."

This is who God is. He can't wait to be with us, see us, date us, and know us. He has so much to tell you, and He wants you to know Him. Even when we don’t show up, He does. His heart sinks every time we miss out on His presence and surprises. He has so much to give you. He doesn't get furious when you leave Him hanging. He just wants you to know how much He loves you.

I’m dating the G… Are you?

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Why is Cinnabon sooo good? Creamy, chewy, sweet, and just simply amazing. ❤

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When God Freestyles...

Last Friday & Saturday(July 11&12), I was so honored to have been able to dance with a group of people (with hearts full of passion for Jesus) for 4 youth services. It was amazing. The choreography, the music, the crowds, and the heart to bring glory to God. It was a huge refreshment.

But, what really got to me was during the celebration of the 6pm Saturday College service. It was the usual kind of celebration—lights, loud music, people crowding in front of the stage, hands clapping, and so on. They asked all dancers to party on stage, and of course... Freestyle. I don't know about you, but whenever people ask me to freestyle...... My heart just stops.

Why? Thoughts begin to race through my head. "OMG. What am I gonna do?!"  "What style?! I don't even have a style!" "What if people think it's not awesome enough?!" "What if I suddenly can't think of anything anymore and just stop and it becomes awkward?!"

These words sink in and create a heavy feeling in me—fear. I love dancing, but I prefer dancing choreography. Something I already know/can think of and can control. Free-styling has always been a challenge for me and has always scared me.

So, there I was... On stage... Clapping, jumping, smiling......and afraid. It was almost my turn. I told the worship leader to proceed to the dubstep part. My mouth was saying, "Whoohoo!", but my heart was saying, "Oh no." And just when the dubstep part came... I froze.....and God danced.

What? Yes. God freestyle-d. I have no idea what I did, nor what actually happened. Is that possible? Yes. God took over me and my body. I went off stage, and some people greeted me with "Cookie! You're so good!" All I could answer was "Really? What did I do? Uhm. Thank you?", because, honestly, it wasn't me AT ALL. It was something I didn't know/couldn't think of and control. It was God...dancing. Kind of hard to imagine the King of Kings & Lord of Lords dancing, right?  I can't imagine that, but He did it. And, it's amazing to have been used by Him. My feelings cannot be explained right now. He used me to glorify Him and Him alone by dancing. Ugh. INCREDIBLE!

I hope you don't think I'm boasting here. I can't boast, because it can't happen to only me. It can definitely happen to you! And, it doesn't only mean through dancing.

God wants us to stop being afraid and let Him take over. I don't know why we care so much about our next move or how people will judge us or how good we'll do or how we will ever be good enough in our own eyes and the eyes of others. We need to let go of our pride, our worries, our thoughts, our fears, and ourselves, and just let God break in and move through us! God cannot be controlled, and if He wants to use you, trust me, HE WILL. Because, in the end, He gets all the praise and glory!

Let God freestyle in your life starting today!

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Waiting on God Just Got a Little. . . Sweeter

"WAIT!"  I think we all kinda dislike being told that word. We really don't like waiting for anything.  But, God LOVES to make us wait.  Why? The cliché way to answer that would be "He has something better for you" or "He'll answer in His time." Well, those 2 sayings are completely true, but God has more reasons why He loves to make us wait.

I confess... I don't love waiting most of the time, especially when I'm asking God for something I want. Kinda selfish, isn't it? I know. But after reading and researching about waiting on God, my feelings towards it has totally flipped. And now, I actually WANT to wait.

What? Who wants to wait? Let me tell you... I do! Do you know that when God makes us wait, He demonstrates sweetness? God displays His love for us when He keeps us waiting and praying. To make you understand more, here's an example. When you take a bite out of your favorite food at your favorite restaurant, don't you like to close your eyes and savor that scrumptious bite? Even after your meal, you still sit, relax, APPRECIATE, and think about how divine the dish was before paying the bill. Here's another example. Imagine hearing a talented, street musician play your favorite love song. You would be still and listen to every single note he plays, because the music fills you with joy. When the song is done, that's when you give a reward to the musician.

It's the same with God. When we cling to Him and pray our humble prayers, He listens, savors, and enjoys. Your prayers are His favorite love song! It's music to His ears. He adores you and your words! It fills Him with joy, because He knows it's just for Him. Isn't that so endearing? Or... Nakakakilig?

So, the next time God makes you wait and pray a little harder, remember that He's listening and showing you how in love He is with you. Keep clinging on to Him. Keep praying. Your reward will come soon. And when it does, you will know that waiting has never been this...sweet. 

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Live and Leave

Sometimes, we have to stop and ask ourselves, "Are we living a life worth living/remembering?" We wait around for "opportunities" or "until we have enough money" to do anything worth our time and effort.

It's time to change that. It's time to live life to the full NOW. It's time to create your legacy NOW. A legacy that you'd be proud of.

I'm not asking you to go to the airport and book a flight straight to the place you've always wanted to visit. I'm not asking you to party like there's no tomorrow. I'm not asking you to go out and explore the wilderness. I'm not asking you to skydive. I'm not asking you to do something crazy in public because YOLO.

That's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about what you do through yourself.

Someday, when I'm old and gray, I don't want to look back at my life and say "I wish I lived better". Starting as early as now, we can begin to live a great and full life today by being good.

What do I mean by that?

Help the weak. Forgive your enemies. Share your gifts. Bless others. Think positive. Take care of your health. Teach what you know. Inspire people to do the impossible. Give smiles. Love others more than yourself.

Simple, right? It's simple, yet it can be very tough to do. But when you stop thinking of yourself and begin to make these things daily habits, it creates the worth of your life, raises the value of others, and leaves a legacy.

The people you help, forgive, love, and etc. will undoubtedly notice, and that is where legacy begins.

You don't have to be someone like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs to leave a great legacy. It's probably obvious we won't be known a hundred years from now. But even if we won't be remembered after a hundred years, we can still live an unforgettable life and leave a great legacy with the people who knew us by being a person who wasn't afraid to be BETTER.

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All or Nothing

Getting to where you want to be or reaching your goals probably won't happen by giving only 50% of yourself. Based on my own experience, working out and/or clean eating doesn't work when I don't give my all. "Gliding" through a workout won't get me a lean figure. Eating healthy in the morning and eating unhealthy at night can't help me lose weight. It's ALL or NOTHING! If I want a better body and a better life, I need to give my everything. If I don't really want it, it would be pretty obvious, because it would show in my lifestyle. I would be too lazy to workout on a regular basis and neglect having a clean diet every single day.

But since I do want it, I have to give 100% of my effort to get 100% results. Makes sense, right?

It's the same with wanting Jesus. We have to offer every bit of ourselves. 50% is NOT an option.

It's ALL or NOTHING!

Do you want Him? DO YOU WANT JESUS?

If your answer is a BIG, GIGANTIC "YES", you would make it a point to get to know him on a regular basis and remember to give your spirit clean food (which is the Bible) every single day. Just like working out, it would be pretty obvious to others that you spend hours with Jesus. It reflects in your attitude, standards, and appearance. Others would notice, and you would know deep down how much time and effort you sacrifice to exercise your habits and faith just to know Him more.

I know it's hard, but if we want Jesus sooo badly, nothing can stop us from reaching Him. Not even our own laziness and personal needs.

If I want 100% of Jesus, I need to give 100% of me.

Are you ready to give 100% to Him? :)

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Raising the White Flag

"Most of the pain we’ve felt in our lives came at the expense of trying to do things our way."

When God tries redirecting our lives, we usually ignore Him and stay on the path we want to walk on. We all have to admit that we once thought going God’s way would demolish the dreams/goals we looked forward to achieving in the future. Sometimes, we had so-called “faith” and prayed that God would somehow agree to what we planned for ourselves. But it doesn’t work that way…and that’s a great thing.

Many times in my life, I would pray, “Your will be done”, but the hidden truth was “I want something and I’m hoping it’s Your will… Please make it happen.” I had to learn the hard way to know that this isn’t the way God leads our lives. We assume that we’ll just be dragged through life, and we don’t see His will as exciting as ours. Everyday, we demand God for our ways to be His desire. We always think that surrendering is losing to God, but it’s actually claiming His victory for us. Though even if this isn’t a battle between you and God, you still fight.

Yet in the end, we just get hurt. “Our way” is a terrible direction to remain in. We are not perfect and the world doesn’t turn the way we want it to. Thankfully, even if we run away from God COUNTLESS TIMES, He will always be waiting for us to just completely surrender and say, “I can’t do this. Only You can.”

Choose Him. Trust Him. Let Him take over, and believe me, the joy in His plans for you are unexplainable! What God has prepared for your life would not even compare to what you thought would happen. Stop fighting and be free. Surrendering will not make you lose, because He is on your side!

"When you raise the white flag with God, you win."