The Grass is Greener...

If the grass is greener on the other side, you can bet the water bill is higher.

I came across this quote earlier today and it made me snicker. It just really struck me as funny.

People seem to spend a lot of time looking at other people's lives, making judgments, wishing that they had what other people had. We look at someone else's homes, families, situations. We see things in their lives that are seemingly better than what we have, and we feel envy. What we don't see, however, is the whole picture.

When we focus on what other people have and what we do not, we fail to see the blessings in our own lives. If we only look at how gorgeous our friend's house is, we can lose sight of how welcome people feel in our own home. If we whine about how "so and so's" children are so well behaved, we can lose sight of how our children can make us laugh when we need it most.

Often times we see the end result of things, without considering what it takes to get there. We see an immaculate house, and covet it, but aren't willing to spend all day cleaning (wow, have I ever been guilty of that one!) We see a friend who is super skinny, but aren't willing to put in the effort to diet... (ouch). We see the green grass, but forget the water bill is generally higher.

God's Word tells us that coveting can lead us to feeling discontent with our own lives. We can become unhappy with our own lives, our children, our husband, our homes, the body that God gave us, possessions, the list is endless. When we place our focus on other people's things/lives, we lose focus from the blessings in our own life. It is easy then to forget to be thankful for these blessings, and can even breed resentment in our hearts. It's a slippery slope, and it all starts from that simple "longing" for that greener grass.

We also need to remember that no grass is perfectly green. We may treat for weeds, and fertilize and water, but there will still be imperfections. We are still subject to flood or drought, pests, and a whole host of other things. Our focus needs to be on the things that truly matter, and working diligently, and doing the best with what God gives us.

Contentment breeds thankfulness (and we all know that a thankful heart is a happy heart! :) ) Discontentment breeds misery.

A couple of verses to meditate on...

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." 1 Timothy 6:6-8

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Exodus 20:17

With Love and a Thankful Heart,