Hundreds of years ago Augustine declared:  “Our hearts are restless Lord, until they rest in Thee.” One father discovered this truth in the strangest place—a McDonald’s restaurant.

        John Ortberg tells the story of taking his young children to McDonald’s. Every time they go there, the cry goes up,  “I want a Happy Meal!” So he buys each child one—and they’re happy…at least for two minutes.  “The problem with the Happy Meal,” he observed,  “is that the HAPPY wears off. It’s an illusion. No child discovers lasting happiness in one.”

        Yet this same illusion captivates us as adults.  “When you get older, you don’t get any smarter; your Happy Meals just get more expensive.” Our culture bombards us with deceiving messages that our contentment is just a step away—“use me, buy me, eat me…then you’ll be happy.” But as Ortberg reminds us, we live longer, work less, and play more than ever in the history of the human race. But are we any happier?

        Have you ever thought that God gives you frustration in this life as a gift you that you’ll realize your only true joy can be found in Him? The Lord says,  “Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.” (Isaiah 55:2-3)