The Grass is Always Greener
[bl]W[/bl]e’ve heard the saying the grass is always greener on the other side. From where we stand, we can see the brown dry grass at our feet. The weeds in between the green. The uneven patches. And from where we stand, the yard next door or the missionary’s compound in her pictures or the hills of Tennessee — they look greener. Better. A place we wish we could be. Instead of here.
The realities of others are often more desirable than our own.
Because in our own reality the normal seems mundane, the hardships too hard, the brokenness unredeemable. It’s one reason we like books and movies. We enjoy getting lost in someone’s else’s story. Escaping the here. Fleeing the now.
But here is where God has us. Or maybe where our choices have us.
And there? Well those green pastures only look green because you’re not standing in them. Everything looks better at a distance. It’s all about perspective. And we all need some for our own life. We need to step outside of ourselves and take a look at our own reality without the pride, pity, hurt, and frustrations that cloud our vision and keep us from appreciating our own story.
My friend Simone shared with me a different version of this well known phrase, this perspective that keeps us from really seeing the place right where we’re standing.
The grass is always greener where you’re watering it. I like that. Water makes everything greener. Because water is life. Instead of looking for greener pastures to walk, start watering the place you stand. Tend to it. Water it with love and grace. Invest in your here and now. Don’t run from it. For here is the place you begin to go anywhere else. Here is where God will meet you.
Today, I choose to be thankful for my here and now. The place I am standing, the people I am with.
#261 The pond that kept us wet and cool
#262 Five worn out children asleep in the tent
#263 The drought that reminds us we can’t control everything
#264 Friends that gather to play and worship
#265 The double rainbow. God remembers.
#266 A family gathered around the computer looking at a little boy in Uganda.
#267 Children who want more
#268 Boys who work with their Papa
#269 Paperwork filled out.
#270 The hope that Jesus is enough
