Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up

Joyce Meyer does an excellent job of showing how to lighten up and give yourself permission to have fun, not stress, let go of guilt, and live a happy and productive life. The book is sprinkled with her wit and humor as she shares real life examples and biblical insight into various situations. It also has many mantras or affirmations, if you will, that are most helpful. One chapter deals with God liking parties and cites one example in particular of God making a party merry for the guests. I had to share that alone with some serious people to let them know that it is alright to lighten up sometimes and enjoy life. A brief snapshot of some chapter titles: Celebrate Your Progress, Learn When to Stop, Give Your Soul a Vacation, and Priorities. I have passed my book with worn and highlighted pages onto a friend. I wanted to share the blessing that I received from this book and hopefully my friend will pay it forward too. Some books are just too good to keep to yourself.

This book is a great encouragement, especially since I am given to being a bit overly critical of self. As always, Joyce gives very practical and relevant examples of the right and wrong actions. Reading it has been a breath of fresh air to my soul and a much needed reminder that I am still a work in progress with God. If you need help resetting your perspective of yourself, and others, read the book!

I was totally surprised by this book. The title is cute but the contents are a wealth of Spiritual Blessings. It was just the boost on faith I was needing. I have half the book underlined and stars everywhere to mark facts I want to refer back to often. I know as a Christian I can be too serious at times and was feeling guilty when I buy something nice just for myself. Joyce totally puts this back into Biblical context. First off guilt comes from Satan not God. DUH, how easy we can forget. Right off this statement grabbed me "Satan will definitely try to make us feel guilty about our sins, faults, and weaknesses. Even worse, he will try to make us feel guilty when we haven't done anything wrong." That is so true. Just on the next page she states "I see guilt as an illegal alien that attacks our mind and conscience, attempting to prevent us from enjoying anything God has provided for us." What a release from bondage! She also talks about how God loves a celebration, with food. He set up celebrations that he commands the Jews to this day that they must be kept. She reminds us to celebrate our very life and all the little accomplishments we have made and not to focus so much on what we cannot do or do not have. Joyce uses a phrase I love. "We were not built for guilt" Got wants us to live life to the fullest and to feel his joy and be glad. "Jesus did not die so we could be miserable and deny ourselves everything that we enjoy or is pretty." Amen. God loves beauty and she goes on to list all the numbers of different animals, flowers, etc...GOD LOVES BOUNTY. He also loves us to enjoy it and SHARE IT! We can never out give God and what we give is always returned to us and then some. "Celebration strengthens Us." I agree and myself will try to do more. I don't want to tell you every last thing I learned as it is too much but I have to say you will be happier and richer for the reading of this book. It brought back joy I had not even realized I was missing. She doesn't downplay that we all have had bad things happen in our lives or that we don't need to repent of our sins, not at all. She shares her hard times with us in this book. But in spite of all bad thing God ALWAYS has a plan for the good. I cannot recommend this highly enough. I know I will be getting a few copies for friends who need this infusion of JOY as much as I did. Well done Joyce and thanks for being obedient to God and sharing this with us.

Joyce Meyer is a great source of inspiration and encouragement for many and in her new book, she offers encouragement for those who are worn down and overcome with stress. Eat the cookies... buy the shoes is a real pick me up. I'm like most Moms, overwhelmed with responsibilities and short on time, this book speaks to those women. The book doesn't delve into great spiritual issues but does offer encouragement to take a little time for yourself and who doesn't need that nowadays. Joyce teaches us to rejoice in the little things and to try and not take things so seriously. Take some time for yourself and just enjoy life. Enjoyed the book very much and highly recommend.

Every once in a while, I find myself reading a book that is serendipitous: the message I need, at just the right time. Joyce Meyers' "Eat the Cookie ... Buy the Shoes" was just such an experience for me. Meyers writes about the importance of celebration in life, as well as the importance of discipline. The titular cookie and shoes are metaphors for learning to keep a proper balance in life. Meyers' colloquial style is enjoyable, and her advice is sound. She provides examples from her own life to explain why both discipline and celebration are important factors in life, and even the need to celebrate having discipline around a problem area. A celebration can be a nice walk in the park and does not need to be something costly at all. While Meyers writes from a Christian perspective that I do not necessarily share in its entirety, I found much encouragement and value in the pages of her latest work. (Review based on advance readers' copy.)