Growing Greener Grass

It’s well manicured, lush, green, and expands to all ends of their domain. Their seemingly perfect grass sits there mocking your scraggly, practically brown, over-grown, meager patch of yard. You jealously compare the two and thoughtfully wish your space looked like theirs. Well, perhaps, my friend, there is a reason for this. The grass is always greener, where it is cultivated.

It is all too easy to look at the people who surround us and compare ourselves to them. Is our marriage as good? Are our children as well-behaved? Is our home as well-kept? Do we accomplish as much?

One truth I have discovered is that while I am looking at other peoples “green grass”, mine is beginning to whither. Instead of spending my time growing my “yard”, I’m slowly killing it off with bitterness and doubt. I need to refocus my gaze and start managing the space I can change. But how do we go about helping our “grass” to grow?

Get Rid of Pests – How many things are in my life I just don’t need? Worse, how many things are actually hurting me? First and foremost, I need to remove those items which are preventing me from further accomplishment. Be it television, certain music, friends, or responsibilities. All things which prevent me from accomplishing the goal of living a life pleasing to God, need to be removed if I am to progress.

Pull the Weeds – While “pests” are surface problems which need to be removed, “weeds” are a little harder; they often run deep and are a reflection of my inner heart. Is there bitterness in there? I need to uproot it and kill it off. Am I angry all the time? Yank it out and throw it away! Once the weeds are gone, I have a better ability to start growing. We accomplish this with tons of prayer, some good Bible reading, thankfulness, and proper application of what we’re learning.

Plant – Now that the damaging parts of my “grass” are removed, I want to start adding some good stuff. Prayer and Bible reading will definitely help, but now we need to add a few more good things. Quality family time, Bible study, and purposeful couple time are all good places to start.

Fertilize – No seed can grow without a little help! Surrounding myself with like-minded friends will help me flourish. People who will not fill my ears with flattery, but who will give me the truth; friends who encourage me to grow closer to Christ.

Water – Quench Spiritual thirst with a good family church. Our minds and souls are like sieves, we leak! We need to constantly be refreshing ourselves with the teaching of the Word and the encouragement of worship.

Manicure – Once we start the process, we will occasionally need to maintain our “grass”. If I am doing things according to God’s will, my life will begin to flourish. My relationships are going to blossom and, while life will never be perfect, it is certainly more “green”. This doesn’t mean, however, that every once in a while, I don’t need to do a quick status check.
Has anything snuck in which shouldn’t be there; a stray weed or pest which needs to be exterminated? Perhaps I have left off planting seeds and building? Is my grass becoming withered or needing an infusion of vitamins? Failing to manicure my life can be very dangerous; left unchecked, my life could easily become the mess it was previously and be a hideous example for the world to see. There is very little which is sadder to observe; a once lovely life, now turned stale and ugly.

A Note of Caution –  This is not a guarantee all of life will suddenly be “coming up roses”. We aren’t talking a quick-fix for getting everything you want. This is a heart check. If we focus on serving Christ and living lives for His glory, the size of our “yard” or the house which happens to be sitting on it, won’t matter. The purpose is not to magically convert our lives into exact replicas of our neighbor, but to be thankful for the one God granted to us and to make the most of what we’ve got. It’s not the size of the “yard”, it’s what you do with it that counts.

Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do was wish our lives were perfect, in order to make it happen? Wow! People would dream up large homes, endless budgets, and gorgeous fillings for their estates. Our relationships would be just as well off; happy marriages, obedient children, and endless amounts of friends.

Unfortunately, life isn’t a long wish list. Often, you get out what you put in. So, instead of me looking into other people’s yards, I want to spend more time cultivating my own.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
– Matthew 6:33

 Chime In!: How is your yard looking?

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