Money Can Buy Happiness

October 3, 2015

Anyone who says money can't buy happiness obviously has never gone shopping with a ten year old girl. When each of our granddaughters turned ten years of age, our birthday gift to them changed. When they are little girls, dolls and stuffed animals and frilly dresses work just fine, but there comes a time when that stuff doesn't work anymore; they are developing their own taste and style, so rather than guess, we give them a set amount of money with the promise to take them shopping. By the time we're done having lunch together at the end, it costs us way more than it would to just give them the money, but that's not the point. We've spent a morning together, listening to dreams of the heart and doing our best to fill the day with memories that will last.

Today it was Mattie's turn, her first trip, having turned ten last week. We continue to do this with Alex, Abi, Izzi, and Jo, but this was the inaugural run for Mattie. Old Navy, Payless Shoes, Claire's, Justice, Michael's crafts, and Walmart all yielded their wares to Mattie's eye and purse. Lunch at Panera Bread was a first for her, and a treat for Linda and me as we sat together and talked about the things that are important to her.

Of course, it's not the money that produces the happiness; it's the relationships. At ten years of age, Mattie of course doesn't  fully understand this, but deep inside she knows. And the money Linda and I spent actually did buy a little happiness as we watched our granddaughter growing up before our very eyes.

This evening, after having been gone all morning and well into the afternoon, we were debating passing on our tickets to hear Daryl and Tracy Strawberry talk about marriage. We've had a busy week, and know that we won't have another evening home till at least Wednesday, but decided to bite the bullet. I am so glad we did. We learned a long time ago that the times when we least feel like doing something is often the time we need it and profit from it the most. Tonight was no exception. They talked about how Christ has transformed their broken marriage by transforming them as they learned to give everything to God and do it his way. They talked about the difficulty in blending a family with children from former marriages. Tracy at one point said, "When you say 'I do,' you are saying 'I do' to his children, his family, his issues." Too many people say 'I do' to the ideal person they imagine the other to be, and ignore the reality of the package they're really getting.

There was so much more, but what impressed me the most is how consistently and forcefully they pointed to Christ as the center of their home, the Rock that constantly calls them to himself so they can become their best selves in Jesus. Today has been filled with grace and blessing for which I give great thanks tonight.