I'm sure you're all familiar with "The Myth of Greener Grass." In a nutshell, it states that things will always look better from a distance, and once you actually get there, there'll be something else that looks better. Thus, you're almost always better off staying where you are and "blooming where you're planted" (another old adage I'm sure you recognize).
While falling for this myth is often naive, recently God has been helping me to understand that it's also counter-productive to the life of faith. You see, the "Greener Grass" myth is all about wanting what you don't have. God's Word calls it "coveting" and declares it to be a sin. Is it wrong to want things? Absolutely not. So where's the sin come in?
The sin comes in because wanting what you don't have (or coveting) is a direct affront to God as Provider in our lives. When we covet, we are saying in not-so-subtle language, "God, I don't like how you're providing for me. Matter of fact, I don't trust that you have my best in mind and I think I can do better." And far too often, we head off down the road of self-provision (a.k.a. Greener Grass) and find out it was yet another illusion and that God actually did know what He was doing.
The problem is that in order to learn this lesson, it often takes us, our family or others getting hurt (seems to be the only way we learn, doesn't it?). I know this from personal experience, having hurt numerous people over the years as I received my "education" via the school of hard knocks (brought about from my pursuit of the myth).
True to my confessed Star Trek mindset, I remember first officer Spock getting a healthy dose of this reality in one episode, culminated by his frank admission that, "Having something is not nearly as much fun as wanting it," for in getting it, he discovered it was not at all what he really wanted (let alone needed).
Wouldn't it be great if we'd just learn to be more content, confident that if we don't have it, we don't need it, and that if God deems we need it, He'll provide it? It certainly would involve less pain, damage and wasted time & effort.
I confess that I'm not there yet, but I am encouraged that I am getting there. There's a host of things I could wish to be different right now, but 90% of them are rooted in the myth. I choose today to turn away from that myth and turn towards the only One upon whom I can rely...all the time. Besides, this grass right here is looking greener all the time!
