The passage above creates a picture that every Hallmark card strives to create. The smiles, the laughter, the embrace, a deep satisfaction of contentment and unity spring out of these words. And as we read them, we cannot help but sigh in sadness as we consider all of the failed efforts to create this very scene. Isn’t this scene what we all desire? And yet doesn’t it seem so far out of reach, no matter how much effort, how much money, how far we stretch to make this very thing happen? Solomon’s observation is simple yet powerful: Righteousness, and in the prior verse, the pursuit of righteousness through the pursuit of truth, produces real and lasting joy. That’s it. That’s the secret! You see, this picture can be lived out in the hospital room, the big mansion, the vacation beach, or in the leakiest shack. It is righteousness (peace with God) that brings joy.