The Grass is Greener
“If I just had…. Then…” You fill in the blanks. Your mind automatically thought of something to put into those empty spaces. What was it?
If I just lived in a nicer house, then I’d want to keep it clean.
If I just had a fluffy puppy to take on walks, then I’d be more active.
If I just went to a church with a younger crowd, then I’d want to volunteer more.
The list could go on. I often find those little “If I just...then…” statements sneaking into my subconscious, so stealthily, in fact, that I begin to see them as truth.
Rarely do we find ourselves completely satisfied.
In college I always said, “Oh, when I become a real teacher, then it will be so much easier and better.” Now that I am a real teacher I find myself saying, “Oh, when I have my own kids, then I’m sure it will be easier and better.”
Our society has a way of idolizing exactly what we do not have, and once we have it, there is something else just waiting to be wanted by us.
It’s like we are constantly reaching. We’re reaching for the next thing that will make our lives better, and then we will finally be content. Right?
But when you get that nicer house what’s going to be next? If your husband buys you that Voice Activated 8th Generation Instant Pot 3000 Max, then will you be content? If your boyfriend finally proposes and you have the wedding of your dreams like you’ve always wanted, what then? What will you reach for next? What will society idolize and say that you can’t live without?
Is the grass greener? Well of course... my friend who has that nice house seems so happy all the time. My coworker who just got a raise always looks put together and content. My neighbor who started a new diet program seems to be beaming with joy. But are they truly content, or what are they reaching for now?
A few weeks ago I found myself asking, “Do I even know what it feels like to be content?” Paul has an interesting take on this in his letter to the Philippians. Here’s what he says.
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
— Philippians 4:11-13
I bet you’ve read that last verse before. Maybe you’ve heard it at a graduation or two. Maybe you have it hanging on your wall, printed on a nice wooden board from Hobby Lobby. “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (v.13). No, that doesn’t mean we can get any car we’ve ever dreamed of, or cure all our illnesses, or magically turn our children into perfect angels. Unfortunately, we often read that verse and think it’s some sort of golden ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. God will give us the ability to fulfill all our earthly dreams! But that’s not what Paul is saying.
God knows exactly what we need.
How was Paul able to be content in such dire circumstances? He was, after all, imprisoned for proclaiming the name of Christ. You’d think he’d be furious at God for allowing such trial and trouble. But Paul knew the secret of being content, ‘If I just have God, then I have all I need.”
I think Paul would echo the words of the Psalm writer David, when he says, “my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5).
As Paul sat in a prison cell writing to the Philippians, he didn’t write,
“If I just had a way to get out of prison, then I’d be content.”
“If I just had 1200 thread count sheets to snuggle up with here in my cell, then I’d be content.”
No! Paul knew that his cup was overflowing only from God himself. Overflowing not with earthly blessings, wealth, or comforts, but overflowing with God’s grace, with the free gift of eternal salvation, and he wanted all people to know of that! His cup overflowed because he had all that he needed; his contentment was found in Christ alone!
The secret he speaks about, the secret of contentment was and is Jesus!
This Christmas season we scroll through our smartphones and get advertisements in the mail, and we see the latest and greatest gadgets and gifts. Is it wrong to want those things? No! But never let those earthly gifts take your eyes off the greatest gift of all: Jesus.
He wrapped himself up in human flesh and freely gave himself to all people. What he gives us lasts longer than the batteries in our favorite kitchen gadget. What he gives us is more precious than oxygen. What he gives us will bring us far more joy than completing a new workout program or buying a new house. He’s a gift that never perishes or fades. He didn’t come with a two-year warranty, because he never breaks. He came and saved YOU! So that you would always have exactly what you need, eternal life in Heaven with Him!
So listen to how Paul closes his letter to the Philippians:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus....The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. (v. 19, 23)
If we just have God, then He will meet all our needs, then we can be content, then our cup can overflow onto others too.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” If we were just on the other side of the fence, on someone else’s grass, then we’d be content. But God has put you on exactly the right grass, because he knows exactly what you need.
Never did I ever think I would be teaching preschool. But here I am with seven littles in the basement of our church in Alaska just keeping them alive and teaching them about Jesus’ love. It’s funny how God places you on exactly the right grass he wants you to be on, maybe so you can help nourish that grass, or maybe so that grass can help you and teach you something.
As I sit criss-cross applesauce at circle time with my kids and tell them about God’s love for them, I’m reminded of God’s love for me.
When a child raises her hand and incessantly make noises to let me know she has something to share with the class, and then says, “I love God and want my family to be in heaven with me and Him,” I’m reminded why God puts us in places we never thought we’d be in.
Do I ever think that the grass would be greener in a high school classroom, teaching Spanish, the language I studied in college? Yes of course, I think that sometimes. But I am quickly reminded with two little arms wrapping around my leg and a little voice uttering, “I love you Miss Sarah,” that God has a plan for me right where I am, on my grass that needs me and that I need too.
Just like Paul, we can say, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances,” because like him, we know what we have.
What do you have? You have Jesus, and that’s all you need.
So I’ll leave you with the same assurance that Paul left for the Philippians:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus....The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
— Philippians 4:19, 23