How to Be Happy Where You Are , livre ebook

Harvest House Publishers, Inc. - Michelle Mckinney Hammond

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114 pages

English

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Bestselling author Michelle McKinney Hammond encourages women to look beyond their daily activities and accomplishments to find true and lasting happiness by focusing on God's priorities.Delving into the life of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4), Michelle reveals a compelling story of deep longing, miraculous fulfillment, fading dreams, and the realization that God's provision never fails. In this thoughtful and enlightening book, readers will discover how to...live in joy while waiting for desires to come truesurrender their longings to God's will and timingkeep their faith strong in times of lossrest in the restorative power of worshipcreate a vibrant relationship with God that never wanesThis engaging look at the life of the Shunammite woman offers women a refreshing opportunity to realize the happiness God has planned for them.

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Date de parution	01 mars 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736942140
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0554€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible , Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com
Cover photo Comstock Images / Comstock / Thinkstock
Cover design by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
HOW TO BE HAPPY WHERE YOU ARE
Copyright 2012 by Michelle McKinney Hammond
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McKinney Hammond, Michelle.
How to be happy where you are / Michelle McKinney Hammond.
p. cm. -(Matters of the heart series)
ISBN 978-0-7369-3792-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4214-0 (eBook)
1. Christian women-Religious life. 2. Happiness-Religious aspects-Christianity. 3. Shunammite woman (Biblical figure). I. Title.
BV4527.M4183 2012
248.8 43-dc23
2011033506
All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 / BP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all my sisters who have cried rivers onto their pillows. To those who have caught sparks of hope then released them because they burned their fingers. To those who have finally gotten their heart s desire. To those who have tasted their dream only to find it bitter after the sweetness dissipated. To those who are still waiting
I pray that God will meet you and settle your questions, quiet your hearts, and fill your souls to overflowing with Himself. That the peace of God that passes all understanding will hold you tight and warm you like a blanket as you shiver in expectation. Remember, my sister, He knows the plans He has for you, and they are better than your own. Feast on that promise, and let it fill you .
Acknowledgments
I almost feel redundant saying this, but I have to thank all the usual suspects at Harvest House. You have championed me through some fierce storms and extreme circumstances. I am so happy I am part of a family who continues to take care of business but also nurtures relationship. It is so rare in this day and age. You truly glorify God-yes, you give an accurate reflection of His faithfulness and love, and I am forever grateful.
To all of you who put up with me (you know who you are) during a time of tremendous trauma and transition. God has once again proven Himself faithful through your support, patience, and love.
Dave Koechel, thanks for being a wonderful friend and listening.
Jesus, I love You. Thank You for writing my story over and over again in Your Word to encourage me and let me know I am not alone.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Our True Wealth
Part 1: Where Are You?
1. Keeping Up Appearances
2. Initial Hunger
3. Keeping Good Company
Part 2: Where Is God?
4. Desires in Perspective
5. God s Determination
6. Hopes Exposed
7. Manifested Expectations
Part 3: Where Is Your Heart?
8. When Dreams Die
9. Putting Faith into Action
10. The Right Attitude
Part 4: Where Is Your Focus?
11. When Comfort Is Not Enough
12. Knowing Where Your Confidence Lies
13. Awakening
14. The Power of Separation
Part 5: Where Are Your Priorities?
15. The Art of Surrender
16. The Power of Release
17. First Things First
18. Losing to Gain
19. Trust and Obey
20. From Test to Testimony
21. Fulfillment Restored
Stepping-stones to Fulfillment
31 Meditations for Happiness and Contentment
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30
Day 31
Contact the Author
Other Books by Harvest House Publishers
Encouraging Books by Michelle McKinney Hammond
About the Author
Our True Wealth

F ulfillment. One word with huge implications. To be full. To be filled to the full. To be so full you feel filled. Filled with whatever your deepest longing was. Oh, it sounds simple enough, and yet this one thing eludes so many. If asked what it would take to feel fulfilled, most would take wild stabs in the dark, guessing what would make them get to a place where they would want nothing more. Others would shrug their shoulders, resigned to the truth that they really don t know.
Some people would insist they know exactly what it would take. But upon grasping it, they find themselves in a state of dismay, wondering, Is this it? Is this all there is to life? Why am I not happy yet? What will it really take to silence this wanting within me ? Someone once said it is not the moments of excitement that test our character. No, it is the mundane moments when nothing of great significance is taking place. How we handle the silence. The sameness. The vast yawn between nothing and anything happening.
And what do we do with all those unrealized desires? Do we just suck it up and make the best of it? Do we question God until we get an answer? Do we make peace with the seeming impossibilities in our lives? And exactly how would we do that, you ask? Is it possible? is the greater question. The Word of God tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). That our true wealth lies in our ability to be satisfied, as the apostle Paul wrote, in whatever state we find ourselves in.
For those of us who are followers of Christ, there is a great sense of guilt when we face the fact that we are not content, not fulfilled, not as joyful as we think we ought to be. We walk in fear of insulting God, of seeming ungrateful; yet the truth is the truth. We feel this way in spite of walking by faith. And yet it must be noted that part of maturing is making peace with where we presently are. With where we are not. With what we presently have as well as what we don t have. With what we have achieved and what we have not achieved.
Walking through life with open hands, demanding nothing while expecting everything from the hand of God, quiets our hearts because we believe in something even greater than our desires. But where is the path that leads us there? It is before us, but truly it is a journey we take one step at a time. It is the accumulation of our experiences with God that builds trust and silences our questions. Somewhere along the way we let go, allowing Him to put in and take out of our lives whatever He pleases. We rest in the assurance that His timing is perfect. We know that out of His great love He ultimately does what is best for us. He allows and disallows what He will.
As time passes and we mature, we also learn to appreciate God s pacing. We come to understand there is a season for everything. Just as He set the sun, moon, and stars in place to relegate not only light but the earth s calendar, His order rules in our lives. Yes, we make plans, but the Lord s will prevails. He decides the when, the where, and the how. Learning to embrace each season with the assurance that surely it will change affords us the luxury of remaining present and focused on what is before us right now.
All this and more we will explore as we draw a map that will take us from our place of wanting to an oasis called fulfillment. Yes, it does exist, and it is not as elusive as you might think. In fact, it is a matter of perspective. So, my dear sister, pull up a chair. We re going to start our journey with an old story that isn t so old after all.
That is what I love about the Word of God. As I study the stories in the Old and New Testaments, I never fail to find myself wandering through the pages. My emotions, my desires, my questions, my wrestling matches with God are mirrored in His Word. I find friends who have traveled the way that I am going. I learn from their experiences. I know if I could have conversations with them they would tell me much more than what is written. I imagine their thoughts and reactions and read the script between the lines of black type on white paper that convey their stories.
Such a story is that of the Shunammite woman found in 2 Kings, chapter 4, beginning at verse 8. This is the story of a woman who, like so many of us, has learned to live with what she s been given. Yet the deep yearning of her heart is there, buried under layers of distractions that pose as acceptance. Her story is one of longings, longings realized, longings lost, and then longings recovered.
This woman s life reveals why it is so important to claim contentment where we are . Things change. Even when we get what we want, we can lose them quickly, letting them take our joy and peace with them. It is only when we know the true key to contentment that our fulf