"It Makes Me Happy"

Our little guy has learned how to debate an issue.  I will tell him to do something and he will say things like "I can't, IT'S naughty" or "It doesn't make me happy." Or he will stubbornly do something because "It made him happy."  In fact, that is really one of his favorite things to say. 

"But, Mommy, it makes me HAPPY."  What we are trying to teach him is that just because it makes him happy, doesn't mean it's good for him.  Ice cream makes him happy, but if that's all he ate, he would become very unhappy in a short time. 

We want him to learn that life is about pleasing God and making God happy, rather than ourselves. We are here to glorify God and live for Him.  Sadly, our society has become more and more selfish.  Their philosophy is: If it makes them happy, then it must be good. 

A good friend and I were talking last week about this very subject.  She mentioned that she had a ministry opportunity that she was really fighting due to the pressure and work it was going to put on her.  She kept fighting it but then one day, she realized that even though it was hard it wasn't about what was going to make her happy.  It was about making the right choice, the choice that was going to please God. 

Dear friends, sometimes it's not about what gives you butterflies in your stomach, it's not about what gives you a "high", it's not about what puts a smile on your face, it's not about the feeling you get when you do x,y, or z. It's about pleasing God!  It's about what makes God happy. - Rejoicing in the Present