Is the Grass is Really Greener?

Photo Courtesy: Neal on Flickr

If you’re reading my blog, then chances are you’re on a journey with me to be more intentional about life and to change aspects of your time on earth that are leave you feeling dissatisfied in some way. And I want to continue to encourage you as you set goals, are intentional in relationships, and as you pursue meaning in your work. All of these pursuits are not only important, but vital as a part of living out our life’s calling.

But I want to offer a cautionary note today. Sometimes we get caught up in the “grass is greener” mentality. Instead of taking in the view along the climb up mile two of our marathon, our mind ventures far ahead, wondering why the rest of our body isn’t across the finish line at mile marker 26.2.

Sometimes I get caught up in the number of page views and how to build a bigger audience at Trail Reflections instead of considering the depth of conversation, the friendships, and the opportunity to share my voice, along with the fact that you are there to hear me out.

Sometimes I want to explore the vast reaches of the earth and escape far away, and yet, there are simple pleasures to be found right down the road – coffee shops, hiking trails, waterways, sandy beaches.

Sometimes I strive to find the elusive perfect work-life-faith-health-relational-financial balance, and then I remember that I am pursuing God’s call on my life. I’ve been blessed with a incredible wife and friends spanning the globe. I’m in good health, and even though I’m considered middle class in America, I’m richer than 97-98% of the world’s population.

All of this is not to say that I’m settling. I’m not. I still desire to explore the world and to increase my income. I need to be more consistent about eating healthy, and I continue to incorporate new ways to increase blog traffic.

However, I’ve realized that the grass may or may not be greener on the other side. And as I’m striving for the finish line, my goal is to be content in where God has me in the present.

In discussing Adam and Eve in the context of sin entering the world, Mark Sayers writes in The Road Trip that Change the World, “Yet the serpent causes Adam and Eve to wonder if the grass is greener somewhere else, to wonder if God is truly good. The serpent’s question in some ways is the ancestor of the culture of the road, which causes us to doubt the goodness of where we are at, to always be seduced by the possibilities over the horizon.”

Sometimes, we need to stop searching for greener pastures and recognize that we’re currently in the place where God wants us, even if we’ve got 24.2 more miles to go.

Are you always searching for greener pastures? How is God using you where you are at, even if you’re far from the finish line?