Greener Grass part 1
I think it's easy to compare things in this life. What you have to what you don't have. What you have to what someone else has. But that's the thing that gets us into trouble so many times. Because when you're so busy looking at what you don't have--especially in the context of what someone else DOES--that's when you lose the attitude of gratitude that is so important in this life. Look at Proverbs 23:17, "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long." Being in the fear of the Lord is, again, being grateful for what the Lord has done. Being thankful for what the Lord has done for us, AND for what the Lord has given us. Psalm 110:4 says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." And Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." That attitude of gratitude. Focusing on what you have instead of what you don't. Tending your own garden instead of always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Focusing on what really matters instead of being envious of what doesn't. Because here's the deal: What someone else has, has nothing to do with you. And all you're going to do is make yourself miserable by comparing yourself. Did you ever notice that it seems like whenever you compare yourself to someone else YOU come up short? How that could ALWAYS be the case? Probably because we don't choose things to compare in which we would come out on the right side. We look for that greener grass. And when someone else has it--or seems to have it, because you never know the whole story in any event--that's when we start to feel bad about ourselves. It's not even a true comparision. It's literally looking for ways to upset ourselves. "They have..." whatever. Well, there are people that look at you and what you have in exactly the same way. People pray for the things you're sick and tired of. Here's my point: If something is important to you, you take care of it. You can't take care of things if you're always looking at the other side to see how green the grass is. If you're neglecting what you've got in order to try to get something "better," you're going to lose what you've got. And chances are you aren't going to get that "greener" grass in any event. It's not real. It's a mirage. And, again, what someone else has doesn't have anything to do with you. "Fair" is not eveybody having the same thing. "Fair" is everybody having what they need. And, even more importantly, nobody ever said life was going to be fair. Just the same as "deserve" has nothing to do with it... "fair" has nothing to do with it. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. If you want to be happy... stop comparing yourself to others. Don't let your heart envy sinners. Be happy where you're at, with what you've got. Be content. Be thankful. Cultivate that attitude of gratitude in your life. Enjoy what you've got instead of missing out on what you've got by always focusing on what you (think you) haven't got. The grass ISN'T always greener. When you have an attitude of gratitude you can be content and enjoy what YOU'VE got. You can experience what God has given you by knowing it and believing it. Receiving it and releasing it!