Have you ever seen a cow or a horse with it’s head stuck through a fence? It was caught by the age old issue of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. Recently, my Mother was visiting and said something about how pretty the greenery was in my aquarium. The problem is – it’s fake! And often, the grass on the other side of the fence is also fake. It’s really not any better than the grass is on the same side of the fence – but oh, how we long for something else. We want more.
Of course, there are two sides of that fence. On one side, we should not be satisfied to stay “status quo.” We should always be striving to “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). We should grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18), and we must “forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before” as Paul said in Philippians 3:13.
But on the other side of the fence – Why do we have such a hard time being satisfied with what we have? There are times when I have pushed myself to the detriment of my physical and mental health because I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to feel like a failure. I was afraid that others would think less of me. May we like Paul, “learn that in whatever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). For we know that we are not alone. God will provide for our needs – they might not be our “wants,” but He will provide for our needs. “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Timothy 6:6). Oh, how we are simply blessed, Courtney