The Grass is Always Greener

Are you contented? Or do you constantly find yourself daydreaming of how much better life would be if only.....

I would imagine we all do it from time to time. But I don't want to slip into making that a habit. I want to be sure that I live in constant gratitude for the blessings in my life. If I let that other kind of thinking in I'm afraid it will rob me of the satisfaction found in today.

I'm sure you've seen people who spend months or years saying if I just had THIS, if I just lived HERE, if only this person would just do THAT.....life would be grand. Then when they get it they are miserable! Ha, the next thing you know, they are dreaming of what they had in the first place!

A single person just wants to be married. Then when their spouse is not the picture of perfection they dreamed of, they think only of being single again.

Childless couples dream of having their own brood. Then when they get it, they wish the kids would grow up and move out.

The city folk wish they were in the country. When they get it, they are bored.

The country folk want to be in the city. When they get it, they wish for some peace and quiet.

A member of a large church wishes they were in a smaller congregation so they would not be lost in the crowd, they could really get to know people. When they do, they resent those hypocritical (ie human) people they find there.

A member of a small church wishes for a mega church so they could have more to do. When they get it, they resent the fast pace of activity.

Family wants to be closer to family. Family wishes they were further away.

This one wants a job. That one wants to quit.

This one has a job but wants a different one. They get it, but still yearn for yet another.

And it goes on and on.....

I suppose the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" could apply here. The scriptures warn us that we should learn to be content in all circumstances.

So I think it might be good to start living more for each moment and stop wishing our lives away. I don't mean to do away with ambition or to never make changes. But more that we need to stop putting happiness on hold, waiting for the perfect circumstances to happen or people to live to our standard of perfection before we will agree to be happy.

Life is short. What if you are living your last days and don't know it? Do you really want to live them wishing for something else? Overlooking the blessings you have in life because they aren't perfect? Those blessings may be material blessings or of the people variety but either way there is seldom perfection to be found. Don't hold off contentment and joy waiting on it.

I just imagine that when it comes down to it, you probably have your own shortcomings, too. But when we live our lives so ready to hop on other people's imperfections, we usually wind up lonely and....discontented.

Enjoy what you have! Enjoy who you have!