Don Weiss realized that he had gone over the edge. He had just taken his 3-year-old daughter Megan to their third fast-food restaurant of the day, searching not for a meal but for a character from an animated film. "Here I was," he said, "driving all over town looking for a little plastic toy."

I'll reluctantly admit that I've done the same thing. Oh, and you too? It should come as no surprise that most children are drawn to fast-food restaurants by toys, not burgers. A national chain handed out 50 million action figures during just one promotion.

This obviously isn't the most crucial problem facing our culture. But in our search for physical or spiritual satisfaction, we can easily and sometimes unknowingly shift from what we need to what we want.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God put His finger on our condition: "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance" (Isa. 55:2).

When we approach Almighty God through His Word and prayer, are we seeking food for our soul or merely a spiritual trinket? The choice is ours.  — David C. McCasland