y grandpa loved to eat. At a towering 6'5" tall, he required more fuel than most. And nothing could put a twinkle in his eye faster than an old-fashioned, home-style buffet. After all, why order off the menu when you could have some of everything?!

One time, when I was about six years old, we pulled into a cafeteria very close to closing time. The door was locked; however, this didn't dissuade my grandfather for an instant. He banged on the door until the manager came and communicated the obvious: "I'm sorry, sir. We're closed." Pointing to his watch, Grandpa said firmly, "You close at 8 p.m. It is 7:58. You are still open." Stubborn to a fault, he convinced the reluctant manager to grant us entry.

Getting what we want isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

I will never forget sitting there mortified as every member of the staff stood, backs against the wall, arms folded, watching us eat our food and no doubt secretly hoping we'd choke on it! Yes, Grandpa got his way. But I believe it had to be the least satisfying meal any of us had ever eaten.

Getting what we want isn't always all it's cracked up to be, is it? We get our hearts set on something, believing it will fill us up, only to be disappointed and plagued with the same gnawing hunger. Insisting on our own way and timing - instead of seeking God and his best plan for us - will always leave us craving more. In John 6:35, Jesus reminds us that his buffet is the only one that truly satisfies - and it's open 24 hours: "... I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."