Annie Chapman - Overcoming Negative Emotions: Gods Path to Becoming a Positive Woman

Overcoming

Negative

Emotions

Annie Chapman

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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 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 MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Italics in Scripture citations indicate author emphasis.

Harvest House Publishers has made every effort to trace the ownership of all poems and quotes. In the event of a question arising from the use of a poem or quote, we regret any error made and will be pleased to make the necessary correction in future editions of this book.

Cover photo Fancy / Alamy

Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Copyright 2011 by Annie Chapman
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chapman, Annie.
Overcoming negative emotions / Annie Chapman.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-2863-2 (pbk.)
1. Christian womenReligious life. 2. EmotionsReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.
BV4527.C46 2010
248.8'43dc22

2010015985

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

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 / BP-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

When I married Steve 35 years ago, I knew he was a good man. However, I had no idea I was marrying an incredibly talented author, skilled editor, patient cheerleader, and by far the nicest person Ive ever had the privilege of meeting.

If it werent for his constant encouragement and incalculable assistance, I would not have finished this book.

Thank you, Steve! I owe you a huge debt of gratitudeand I look forward to you collecting on it for the next 35 years.

There are many who have helped me find my way through this maze of life. Some of those folks are mentioned in the pages of this book. Because of their invaluable contributions, I have experienced the joy of finding Gods truths. I am grateful.

My family has made my life so much fun and fulfillingSteve, especially! Not only is he a terrific husband and friend, but he is also one incredible pre-editor and sounding board. He keeps me from embarrassing myself. I am humbled.

Eternal gratitude belongs to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the priceless gifts of salvation and restoration. Because I am forgiven, now I can forgive. And because of Gods continued workI am at peace.

Contents

A s Annies husband and traveling companion to many of the womens conferences where she speaks, Ive heard her often start her time with the ladies with this story:

A few years ago Steve asked me if there was anything special I wanted as a gift for my birthday. Since I was born in October, and our country was in the middle of an exciting political season at that time, I knew exactly what I wanted. For 30 years Steve and I functioned quite well with only major network television to watch. However, that year I wanted to view the political coverage of the presidential debates on a more fair and balanced cable channel.

Steve caved in to my wishes, and for four glorious years we nearly wore our thumbs out on the remote as we channel-surfed through the vast choices. Though the options were for the most part not all that life-changing, I did make a discovery of a channel that I enjoyed returning to as often as I could. Its programming highlighted many health and science shows I found interesting and engaging. On one particular day I watched a documentary of the fertilization of the human egg that I want to tell you about today. When I saw it, I immediately thought of sharing it with the ladies Im privileged to speak to, so Im going to tell you about it.

On this particular episode they showed a yet-to-be-fertilized egg suspended in low light, like a planet hanging in space. Suddenly the scene shifted to a long, dark corridor where there were millions of little squigglies making their way toward their destination, which was the egg. I dont even want to think about where they had positioned the little movie camera to capture such fascinating footage. The sperm seemed to be in a race, the kind that would rival the swift and intense runners in a world-class 100-yard dash. And it was just as exciting to watch.

As I scooted to the edge of my seat to observe the contest, I noticed that some of the little guys looked a bit sluggish. They meandered along as though they didnt quite have a grasp on what they were supposed to be doing. Others were going in circles, and some even crashed and burned along the way. However, there were a few contenders that would have put Olympic sprinters to shame. These survivors were on an unstoppable quest.

Totally enthralled with the whole process, I found myself cheering as one of them reached the egg. What took place next was a complete shock. I had assumed that it was winner take all in the race to the finish line; however, when the first arrival tried to penetrate the egg, it was rebuffed. I didnt realize at the time that there was a hard membrane encasing the egg. Again and again the sperm bounced off. And then I saw it. One little go-getter started boring his head into the egg. Relentlessly he kept at it. Then all of a sudden the shell seemed to crack open and in an instant the winner was swallowed into the egg.

What a marvelous sight! Do you know what happened in that unforgettable moment? Life! Pregnancy and a new beginning. Nothing would ever be the same as a result of the meeting of that sperm and egg.

As I prepared my heart for speaking to you today, I once again thought of that documentary. In my minds eye I saw you as a bunch of eggs expectantly longing for an infusion of life. I dont know if the human egg has a choice as to whether it is fertilized or not, but I do know the human heart has one.

In the time well have together here, there will be stories, Scripture passages, poems, and commentary. Whether you allow the hard shell that encapsulates your heart to be penetrated by any of these things will be totally up to you. My greatest hope is the outcome of your time today will be that something I saymaybe a verse of Scripture, a song lyric, or perhaps a storywill find its way into your heart. I can only hope that at the end of our gathering, when you return to your homes, you can say to your loved ones, I went to a ladies conference today, and I think Im pregnant!

Because I have observed so many ladies respond with excitement to the biblically sound and relatable material Annie offers at her speaking engagements, Im confident the same will happen when you read this book. This adaptation of one of her most important seminars does indeed have the potential to implant new hope in your heart. In fact, I expect that will happen even before you finish reading this book.