Women of Faith - Celebrate: Discovering Joy in Lifes Ordinary Moments

CELEBRATE

CELEBRATE

DISCOVERING JOY IN LIFES
ORDINARY MOMENTS

Margaret Feinberg

Foreword by Luci Swindoll

2012 Thomas Nelson

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4185-4928-2

Printed in China

11 12 13 14 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

A number of years ago I had two cats. More accurately, they had me. Ive never purposely had a pet in my life, but these two little fractious felines made my front porch their home. They showed up one morning when I was leaving for a walk, demanding food and attention, neither of which I was prepared to give. Nor did I want to. I didnt like cats. At least, I hadnt up to that point, and through the years had been mercilessly criticized by my cat-loving friends who considered me to be an otherwise compassionate person. I held to the belief that cats were too independent to belong to an already independent individual. Nevertheless, here they were at breakfast time, staring at me imploringly. I remembered that amusing book by Jack Smith, Cats, Dogs and Other Strangers At My Door where he talks about various animals who had without invitation intruded into his life, warmed themselves by his fire and won their way into his heart. Lost in these musings, I went on my walk, leaving the strangers at my door, unattended. They werent happy, but so what? I owed them nothing.

It wasnt until I got home that I gave them another thought, and that was because the fatter of the two cats was poised on top of the second floor air-conditioner, looking down on me in deep contemplation. She really was rather cute, so I decided to capture her in celluloid. I dashed in the house, grabbed my camera, and just as I leaned into a somewhat awkward position to get the right angle for the picture, I threw my back out. I could hardly move because of the pain. No matter how I turned, I was miserable. I glanced up to the air-conditioner just in time to see the cat leave and come down to where I was writhing. It was at that moment, strangely enough, I decided to name her Ms Ree because she wanted to be with me. Ms Ree loved company! The affection between us had begun. Her inscrutable name fit her perfectly and no matter what I was doing she was by my side.

The other cat, younger and friskier of the two, followed Ms Ree everywhere. I named her Shadow, because indeed she was that to Ms Ree and ultimately, to me. I loved those cats to pieces. I fed them, bought them toys, fixed a little place for them to sleep on the porch, and in gratitude, they left me a dead mouse one day on the Welcome mat.

What is it about ordinary things in life that give us so much joy? Just this morning I stood at the window overlooking my back yard and watched a beautiful cardinal flitting around from tree to tree. I was mesmerized for ten or fifteen minutes. It was as though my entire yard belonged to him. God has invited us to enjoy these gifts of beauty and uniqueness. They remind us that He is present in the ordinary moments of life. All we have to do is take time to focus and enjoy them.

In this Study Guide, youre going to read about various backgrounds and conditions in which youll see God in unique ways. So often we think we have to buy something to give us joy, or plan a party so we can celebrate. And some of us cant be happy if were alone. But, I can tell you from experience, many of the richest and most enjoyable moments I have, happen when Im by myself; when I concentrate on what is right in front of me; when I stop and look up, or around; when I forget about me and think about the other person. And heres the fun of it: Its free. Its daily. Its everywhere. You dont need money, fame, education, or a proper setting to discover the joy in life thats there for the taking. All you need is to open your eyes and heart.

Even when youre served up a plate full of misery as Job, the patriarch of the Old Testament says, there are moments of relief and beauty if you look for them. The Lord Himself is your Shadow. And it is He who reveals them to you.

LUCI SWINDOLL

Introduction
Gods Invitation to You

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

JOHN WESLEY,
THEOLOGIAN

G od is issuing you an invitation to a celebration that is just too good to miss! Right here, right now, even in the midst of the challenges you face every day, God is waiting for you to say yes to begin celebrating the joy in your life.

Sometimes we can miss out on the celebration simply because we spend too much time and energy waiting to be happy. You may be tempted to tell yourself that the real celebration will begin... when I meet Mr. Right... when I land the promotion .. . when the kids are grown... when I retire... Yet, as the weeks roll into months, and the months roll into years, we can miss out on celebrating the blessings God has placed right in front of us. We can spend so much of our lives waiting to be happy, that we miss out on laying hold of the joy that God has for us each and every day.

All we need is a change in perspectiveknowing where (and how) to look for Gods blessings in your life and celebrating with a thankful heart. Before you know it, youll start celebrating the joys that have been hiding in plain sight. Youll discover theres more to celebrate than you ever imagined.

Celebration is contagious. As you begin celebrating the work God is doing in your life, it wont be long until others notice and join in the party. Youll find that once you start celebrating, its hard not to bubble over with generosity and hope. Like confetti, gratitude and appreciation will fill the air. Youll be grateful you said yes to Gods invitation.

My hope and prayer is that, throughout this study, you rediscover the joy that comes with being a child of God and that, in response, youll find yourself inviting others to celebrate the goodness of God, too.

Blessings,
Margaret Feinberg

Saying Yes to All
God Has for You

Did you know that God wants to do abundantly more for you than you ever expected or imagined? God wants to throw you a party in which He gives you divine giftsthe presents (and presence) of contentment, gratitude, joy, and thanksgiving in your life.

One
Unwrapping the Gift of Contentment

There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.