Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes
Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up
by Joyce Meyer
Mem. Ed. $13.99
Pub. Ed. $19.99
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Bonus Content
Eat the Cookies
CHAPTER 1
The Cookie
It was Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri, during our 2007 annual autumn women’s convention, and we were on a brief lunch break preceding the final session of the conference. This is one of the most significant events that our ministry sponsors. It is attended by thousands of women from all over the world, and it requires a tremendous amount of hard work, creativity, and preparation. The three-day conference begins on Thursday evening, and by the Saturday lunch break, I’m usually mentally, physically, and emotionally tired. This particular event seems to take a lot out of me for several reasons. By the last session, I feel a great deal of responsibility to be sure that the conference ends in a way that leaves our attendees energized and very glad they came.
We had enjoyed a small lunch, and I was gathering all of my strength getting ready to go to the platform and bring the conference to a fantastic finish. Dave and I were leaving the lunchroom when I saw a plate of chocolate chip cookies I had passed by when I was selecting my lunch from the buffet. As I saw them this time I thought, “I really want (need) a little piece of one of those cookies.” I stopped at the table and broke off about one-third of one of the cookies and ate it. As we proceeded to the platform Dave said, “Did you just eat part of that cookie?” His tone of voice was accusing and right away I got defensive. I felt like saying, “Chill out . . . it is just a piece of cookie!”
You might wonder why Dave cared about one-third of a cookie. We had recently signed up at a workout facility nine months prior to the convention. We worked out three days a week and had committed to a special eating plan that was rather strict. Four days a week we ate mostly protein and vegetables. The fifth day was called a “free day” because we got to eat one meal consisting of anything we wanted to eat. Usually on that day we ate pasta and/or dessert. We were free to eat whatever we wanted during that one meal as long as we got right back on our eating plan the next day. Our free day for that week was the following day, and Dave had challenged me because I had eaten the piece of cookie on the wrong day.
In his own words, he was only trying to help me. But I didn’t want help or advice. I wanted the cookie! I was tired, I had come a long way in the conference, and I needed something to get me to the finish line. I didn’t care what it was, but it needed to be fun, pretty, or sweet. And the cookie happened to be the first thing I saw that fit that description. Being a man, Dave does not understand things like that. He is very logical and in his mind, it simply wasn’t the right day to eat the cookie.
This is an excerpt from “EAT THE COOKIE BUY THE SHOES: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up” by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2010 by Joyce Meyer. Reprinted by permission of FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes
Do you sometimes feel like you can’t enjoy life because you’re a Christian? Many of us start new diet and exercise regimens, determined to follow them religiously until we get the results we’re after. Or we resolve to save money, then we buy that dress we wanted but didn’t need. Then, a tray of cookies crosses our path and our “all-or-nothing” mentality trips us up. We quit in frustration, our old ways taking over…once again.
Breaking from a strictly regimented lifestyle is a sign of weakness, right? Wrong! And in Joyce Meyer’s Eat the Cookie…Buy the Shoes, you’ll find out why God says it’s ok to eat the cookie.
Many of us believe that unbending discipline is the only sure path to God’s love. We must go to the gym five times a week, never order dessert and don't even think about buying that dress. Though setting rules is important, it’s also important that we lighten up from time to time and know that God will still be at our side, every step of the way. Balance is the key and every once in awhile it’s OK to break the rules.
So don't feel bad about sometimes straying from your goals. Rather, embrace it: Eat the cookie and buy the shoes and know that God still loves you—unconditionally!
Hardcover : 208 pages
Publisher: Hachette Book Group Usa ( April 13, 2010 )
Item #: 12-859883
ISBN: 9780446538640
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.5inches
Product Weight: 9.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
awesome 
July 04, 2011
I love joyce meyers she touches your soul.
Reviewer: debra b
did not like 
June 14, 2010
didnt know it had no recipes in it. didnt not care for it. sorry
Reviewer: pat f
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