The Grass Isn’t Always Greener Series

THE GRASS ISN’T ALWAYS GREENER

By: C. Mason Davis

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 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? Or should they hop the fence and wander over the hill and stand on that grass to know for sure? They have done this many times over. And always the grass is indeed less green than previously thought. Sometimes, though, there are a few good strands. but the grass isn’t green, and they wonder if they’re settling. And to think, as far as they know, this is the only life they’ve got, and would like to stand on green grass at least once, so they carry on. Over the next fence. Still. The grass isn’t green. 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 of them say the shade of grass you get has nothing to do with what field you stand in. That it is decided by something much bigger and grander and more mysterious than us. And if you do the things it likes, you will get greener, and if you don’t, you get browner. But some of them also say that this entity sometimes likes to test us and will occasionally give us brown anyways to see how we react.

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. They think they’ve figured it out this time. But alas, wrong again. They’re tired of being wrong, but don’t want to be the sort of person who gives up, so with a sigh they hop another fence.

The first chapter of the Book of Ruth is a great example of hopping fences for greener pastures. Ruth’s own story is of strength even in the midst of adversity. But the story is also about Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, facing strong difficulties, persecutions, and possibly varying levels of regret, but both of them grew in their faith and found God’s hope, restoration, and even redemption in the end. When we pick up the story, we realize an important lesson from Naomi and Elimilech, that sometimes we are going to have to endure while our own house is in a mess or a state of disorder.