grandma's chuckles - "The Answer to Happiness is Lemonade!"

Most Friday or Saturday nights my grandsons spend the night at my house. We love sleepovers! We have been doing this for several years, today I'm remembering a few years ago on one such sleepover when my then six year old grandson came over to me with a huge smile on his face and said; "Grandma, the answer to happiness is lemonade!" Of course after laughing, I got the sweet and funny boy a glass of lemonade!

Today, after laughing some more, I got to thinking about the "answer" to happiness. Far too often we think we require "more", and "bigger", and the "newest", and the "best" in order for us to be happy. But this is not true. More,  bigger, newest, and best do not mean we will be happy because there is always more to be had, something bigger out there, the next new thing is just around the corner, and the "best" is relative. If we seek after these things, we will find happiness eludes us; as will our grandchildren if they seek after these things as well.

Fortunately Matthew 6:25-34 tells us where we will find happiness . . .

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So, if we focus on "seeking" God and His righteousness, we will be happy . . . and an occasional glass of lemonade won't hurt, either!