Greener Grass part 3
The best way to stop being jealous of the "greener" grass on the other side... is to water your own grass. If you're taking care of you and yours you won't have the time or energy to worry about what anybody else is doing. And that, to me, makes it so simple. Instead of worrying about what you haven't got, just take care of what you have got. Instead of wishing for what someone else has, just be grateful for what you have. Change your mindset. Change your priorities. It's like how I always say the only time you should look down on someone is when you're REACHING down to help them up. The only person you should ever compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. Moving forward. Upward and onward. Not, "Why can't I have what they have?" But rather, "Thank you, Father God, for giving me what I need." There's such a big difference between what you "want" and what you need. One of those is very important--as we can see by the fact that our heavenly Father has supplied all our NEED, according to His riches and glory--and one of those, quite frankly, isn't. You can't always get what you want. But when you trust in God you find that you get what you need. And I'm not saying it's not ok to want things. I'm not saying it's not ok to work for the things you want. I'm simply saying your priority should be on the needs. And even then, look at this: "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'what will we eat? what will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Matthew 6:31-33 NLT). I said focus on needs instead of wants. God says, "I know what you need. Focus on ME." Remember Cain and Abel? Cain was focused on the grass. He gave God a sacrifice from what he could produce with his own hands. And that wasn't what God wanted. Abel gave a lamb. The only sacrifice God has ever accepted, as seen in fullness on the cross with Jesus, the Lamb of God. So what I'm trying to say today is that we water our grass, we focus on our needs, but knowing and believing that God has supplied us with everything we need. When Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves... God covered them with Lamb skin. Whatever we can do to the best of our abilities... He can do better. So instead of trying to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow we ought to just enjoy the bread and wine, the lamb and living water, that is Jesus. Just enjoy the gift of God. You can't earn a gift. You simply have to receive it. Freely you have been given, freely you can give. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. Focus on what's important in your life by focusing on God. Seek the Kingdom (not in the sense of "I don't have it but I want it," but in the sense of "Look at what I have!") and you will see that IN the Kingdom we have all we need. How could any grass anywhere be greener than in the Kingdom of God? Which is where, and who, we are. We are not just IN the Kingdom... we ARE the Kingdom!