You've heard it said, "the grass is always greener..." and you think in moments of peace and sanity in your life, surly, the grass in most def. not greener. But then the storm clouds roll in, the sun disappears, you gain 20 lbs, your car breaks down, your child gets terminally ill, and suddenly, the grass does look greener. I've been there, and it's hard to look at your seemingly dead and brown ugly grass and say, "I like this!" Thankfully, we don't have to say, "I like this," to have peace with our brown grass...we only have to look no farther than the Father who is the giver of life and provider of all peace and contentment. Well, it does take a little trusting on our part, but that is the deal sealer in these types of situations.
Somehow, we have to get our eyes back onto what matters and that is being in the center of Christ's plan for us. This world is chalk full of sin, sin that leads to terrible circumstances. We are married to sinful people and we ourselves are sinful people, so when we wrong one another and as a result sinful, painful circumstances arise, we then look to "other side" and think, that IS better. So, then we have, divorce, suicide, loveless lives and hurt that cannot be let go of. But rejoice my friends, this is not the end of our story, and praise God for that. When we take hold of the plan that God has for us and believe on Him in trust, knowing that despite, sin, despite terrible choices and circumstance, we can grab hold of His peace, it gives us hope for yet another day. I cannot tell you the number of times I have found my mind wallowing in self pity, screaming questions at God as to why things are "this way" or "that way" but in those moments, I was only focused on what 'I wanted' rather than what God's purposes might be big picture.
It really does not matter the circumstance I'm in, taking my eyes off of the Lord, always proves to leave me feeling hopeless and dead inside from all the worry, fear and anxiety...you see, those things set in for me when I start trusting in my own wisdom to "fix and solve" problems instead of relying on my Creator.
What am I getting at here? No one person has it better than you. That's the end of it. God's plans for you, are not God's plans for them. And any other line of thinking only makes me focus on my desires rather than God's desires for me. Every time I hear my heart start to quake with envy for something "better" I can calm it almost instantly by whispering His words to my heart, about How His plans for Abraham were different for His plans for Noah or Job. And in each of those men's lives, had they been in a position to compare themselves, there would have arisen such discontent on all of their parts...
Abraham wanted lots of children, Noah was most instrumental man of faith of His time, and Job seemingly had it all, but lost it all, only to gain it all back ten-fold...
God's plans, are God's plans. And taking our eyes off of that truth can lead us to such disappointment. SO, what are God's plans for you? Seek Him! Knock and the Door and He will answer, practically speaking, read the Word...Pray...and immerse yourself in things of Christ and you will see His plans for you start to manifest in your heart. What used to be the thing that envied, now can be rejoiced over as another receives it. And God is the giver of this gift, to you, the gift of contentment for where you are at. So much so that the green grass over there, now looks a little brown compared to your lush side. It's not physical movement, but movement of the heart, because that is where it all begins my friends, the attitudes of the heart give birth to all sorts of evil and on the flip side, all sorts of good, when God is the sole keeper of your heart. Do you love Him? Do you cherish His laws? Do you hang on His every word? Do your sins grieve you so much you cry at the thought of them? Well, me neither all the time, but I do strive to have YES be the answer to all of those questions.
Don't look over the fence, and stare at that grass, ask Him to allow you to see your existing grass how HE sees it, and watch as the peace begins to take over. It's not an overnight transformation, but little by little, as Christ takes over every part of us, this become our reality. And it's a wonderful place to be, and you feel as I do at times, that it's the ONLY place to be. Right where God places you. That is home. That is peace, and Oh friends, is it lush!!!
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall in to the heart of the sea, though it's waters quake with their surging. There is a river who streams make glad the city of God, the holy place, where the most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46: 1-7
Be encouraged friends, the Lord Almighty is with you! Take that good news into your day and be greatly encouraged.
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