Thursday, January 17, 2013

Is the Grass Really Greener?


Duck On Green Grass
 


This past Sunday, or pastor used the phrase that we are all familiar with: “The grass is always greener on the other side”.  He was talking about how Satan can deceive us into thinking there are better things out there for us than what we already have.  It got me thinking how that could play out.  You’ve got your yard.  It looks okay, but as you are standing on your grass you look over and notice that the neighbor across the street has what appears to be a perfectly manicured lawn.  The color of the grass is just gorgeous.  You think to yourself, man how come my yard doesn’t look that good.  I want my yard to be like that.  I want that yard!  You think, my yard is so boring and dull.  I really don’t like it anymore.  It starts to bother you more and more.  You keep seeing that perfect yard every time you step out of your house.  Sometimes you even gaze at it from your window and imagine yourself over there laying in that gorgeous grass on a sunny day.  You can just imagine the smell of the freshly cut grass. There is a statue with a fountain running from it.  You imagine throwing a big party over on that lawn and how happy you’d be and how proud you would be that it was your lawn instead of the neighbor’s.  Life would be so much better over there.

One day you decide to go for it.  You leave your yard and head over to the more perfect yard.  But when you get there, you immediately observe that you have stepped onto artificial grass.  That grass is as fake as grandma’s teeth.  There’s no fresh-cut grass smell.  You check the fountain.   It’s made of cheap plastic and the water has this brownish tint and odor to it.  You sure didn’t notice that from your yard.  And there are some nasty looking insects buzzing around.   Now that you’re in this yard, you realize that it’s not at all what you thought it would be, dreamed it would be.  But it looked so good from a distance.  James 1:14-15 says” but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Perhaps you are feeling bored with your husband or wife.  There’s a cute new gal at work or hunky guy at the gym.  You might start imagining what your life would be like with that person.  You start up a conversation.  She’s so charming and friendly and has the most interesting stories.  She makes you feel like you’re in high school or college again.  Before you know it, you’ve gone there.  It happens all the time, unfortunately.  Marriages and families are destroyed because someone thought the grass looked greener somewhere else.  You traded in your wife for a newer model (as they say).  You left your husband for someone more handsome or richer.  But the grass isn’t really greener.  If you are thinking about a trade-in, think again.  That hunky guy probably has a lot of baggage (like lots of ex-girlfriends), or spends lots of money gambling, or has the wandering eye.  That little gal at work might really be using you to advance her own career, or will at some point, think you too old for her and trade you in. 

Take care of your own yard.  Nurture it and enjoy it for what it is.  So what if it’s not perfect.  Neither are we.  There is someone who can help us with our struggles and help us to be content with what we have.  Jesus can help us to resist looking elsewhere for excitement and satisfaction.  He can also help mend broken hearts if you have one of those. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we can cast all our burdens on Him because He cares.