Green Grass

For the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the old saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." We all know that the saying is referring to the fact that it appears that what someone has is better than what you have and you think it'd be better than your own current situation. In contrast to that, I remember hearing that if you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, then it's likely you need to start spending time watering the grass on your side. The person just meant that the grass on the other side of the fence is never as lush and beautiful as you think it seems and too often when we get to the other side, we start to realize that where we were at really wasn't so bad after all.

Kind of a deep topic, no? :) It's rather interesting how I started thinking about this entire subject several weeks ago. You see, it started with thinking about our daily interactions with people and then that line of thinking led me to think more about the kind of person that I want to be in life. In all of this "thinking," I realized again that it's so easy to be influenced by people. I know that is an obvious statement, but it's just been very real to me how my thoughts and actions can so quickly turn into something that's not my "norm" just because of the personalities that are around me! Several times over the last few weeks, I've felt rather corrected about some of my actions and reactions toward people and situations and it's never a very good feeling to experience.

Anyway, all of that eventually evolved into a serious appreciation for some of my Bible studies over the last few weeks. It just seems like it's easy for me to get caught up in life and in the rat race of things that I forget about the important things. Then, when I forget about the important things in life, I find myself changing and I find that I start to battle with envy, greed, selfishness, and so many other things that truly change the person that I am and the person that I want to be. After that, it just seems like it's so easy to feel discontented and to think that the grass truly is more green on the other side of the fence.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is what I started this with...if I'm starting to feel like the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, then it's about time that I start spending time watering the ground on my side of the fence. No one lives perfect, beautiful lives! We all face experiences and situations that change us, both in good and bad ways. We all stumble and give in to the pressures and personalities around us, but that doesn't mean that it's over. It just means that maybe we got a little confused and found ourselves peeking over the fence too much.

So, as we start this new week, let's resolve to be thankful for the ground on our side of the fence. Let's resolve to take care of that ground by watering it and feeding it exactly what it needs so that it, in turn, can help us to stay content and on track with what is important in life.

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.