Articles
The Secret to Greener Grass
It’s easy to wish you had a different life. It’s not uncommon to wish you were a different person, with a different family, living in a different place, as part of a different church, doing different things, etc. But God commands us not to covet what we don’t have (Exo 20:17). He tells us to be content with what we do have (Heb 13:5).
If you could step into someone else’s life, you’d soon find different versions of the same basic problems. Whatever you might be tempted to flee from will very often be waiting to meet you when you reach the place you’re fleeing to.
We must all search to find our place in the world. Some situations are sinful or lacking in good potential. We may need to shake the dust off our feet when we encounter them. But we’ll never find a perfect situation until we get to heaven.
In your marriage, your school, your job, your church, and your life in general, stand and fight the battles you face without retreating. As a preacher named Barry Galindo said, “The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence, it’s greenest where you cultivate it.”
Whatever you have and wherever you are, you can glorify God, despite imperfections. What you are given in life really matters less than what you make of it. As novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” (Rom 12:6)
Peter says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” (1Pe 4:10)
The key to success is not escaping your life. It’s using whatever you’ve been given to the glory of God. -Paul
