Michelle McKinney Hammond - How to Be Happy Where You Are: Finding Fulfillment

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON

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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 womenReligious life. 2. HappinessReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Shunammite woman (Biblical figure). I. Title.

BV4527.M4183 2012

248.8'43dc23

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 meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept 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 hearts 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 .

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 Godyes, 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.

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 dont 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 dont 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 Gods 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 earths calendar, His order rules in our lives. Yes, we make plans, but the Lords 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. Were going to start our journey with an old story that isnt so old after all.