The Grass Isn't Always Greener On The Other Side

THE GRASS ISN’T GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE

By: C. Mason Davis

An old tired-looking dog wanders into a guy's yard. He examines the dog's collar and feels his well-fed belly and knows the dog has a home. The dog follows him into the house, goes down the hall, jumps on the couch, gets comfortable and falls asleep. The man thinks it's rather odd but lets him sleep. After about an hour the dog wakes up, walks to the door and the guy lets him out. The dog wags his tail and leaves. The next day the dog comes back and scratches at the door. The guy opens the door, the dog comes in, goes down the hall, jumps on the couch, gets comfortable and falls asleep again. The man lets him sleep. After about an hour the dog wakes up, walks to the door and the guy lets him out. The dog wags his tail and leaves. This goes on for days. The guy grows really curious, so he pins a note on the dog's collar: "Your dog has been taking a nap at my house every day." The next day the dog arrives with another note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with four young children – he must be trying to catch up on his sleep uninterrupted. Can I come with him tomorrow?''

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 5:15-17 states, “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers with thee.”

What that scripture telling us is: But it is still water. So, enjoy what you have. The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. It is just grass.

Are things in your life not working for you exactly as you want or as you think things should be? Are you moving around a lot trying to find that direction and that place where things should be better as you’d hoped for? Is life making you dizzy because you have no direction? Do you feel so confused because you can’t tell what is up or down, left or right, right or wrong anymore? Do you suffer from the “Grass is greener on the other side of the fence” syndrome? This syndrome of “The grass is always greener on the other side” is a proverb about envy and perception. This phrase is used to describe people who are never content with what they have and constantly wonder if others have it better. We are so quick to see the negative in our own lot, so everything else looks better elsewhere. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. In Psalm 23, the reference to green pastures is a metaphor for God’s care for His people. It’s not a reference to go find greener pastures elsewhere, but that if you keep faith in Him, He will provide for you, so you don’t have to keep looking elsewhere for those greener pastures. Philippians 4:19 states, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Some say grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But most can say in response is, maybe so, but the grass isn’t the least bit green. And so, what should they do? Ignore the hills in the distance because the grass is always greener on the other side? So, over the next fence they go. But still the grass isn’t greener. Maybe this whole time they’ve been hopping fences but should have stayed put and nurtured the grass in their own field. If they had, maybe by now it would be green.

Some people say the point is to stop wanting the green. And maybe there’s something to that. Ecclesiastes 6:9 states, “Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.” But most move on, choosing a direction carefully this time. They set their sights on the greenest and decide to let nothing stand in their way, thinking this is the field. But alas, wrong again.

Israel was in the midst of a famine. It could mean a food shortage, and there would be no other place to gather food leading to starvation. It could be simply an off year for the harvest, or it could last seven years like in the story of Joseph. The rules in those days said that the Israelite people were not to intermingle with the Moabites, yet Elimelech did this anyway, moving his whole family to Moab where things seemed better instead of staying where he was and trusting God.