Imagine standing in your back yard watering the grass. It’s a pretty good plot of land. There is a vegetable garden with some tomatoes in the corner, a couple of flowering bushes and soft, and a lush green expanse. It’s not much, but it’s yours. Then something catches your eye. Over the fence into your neighbor’s yard, you see something fabulous. How did he get his grass SO green? All of a sudden you notice the weeds, patches of brown, and is that piece just flat out missing grass all together. It becomes clear that while you thought you had a great yard, this guy has been cultivating a golf course worthy landscape. First you are mildly discontented, then jealous, now you are flat out coveting the grass next door.
We have all had the proverbial “grass is greener” mentality at one time or another. We are happy with our little corner of the ministry world until… It might be a deacon’s meeting gone wrong, unsupportive leadership, pressures of life, or perhaps you just see the church down the street has it much better. Whatever it is the seed of discontent begins to grow. There is a saying that grass grows where it is watered. There is another saying I like equally as much;
“The grass is greener over the septic tank.”
As you contemplate the better yard next door here are some things to think about:
Wandering Eyes
What is causing this wandering eye? Why are you so dissatisfied? Take the time to seek the Lord and HIS desire for you. Is this an irreconcilable ministry discretion or sin in your heart? Will a circumstantial change really make a difference?
All Grass Has Brown Splotches
I once heard someone say, “My church was wonderful and Godly, then all the people showed up.” You may believe, like I once did that you just need a “different lawn,” with a new set of “weeds.” Recognize, every single place you go will have issues. There is no “perfect” ministry scenario.
Driven, Called, Leaving, Leading
A friend of mine once told me, “God calls us to sucky places on purpose. Just because this didn’t turn out the way everyone expected doesn’t mean God didn’t do it for a reason.” Are you feeling driven to find another place or is the Lord calling your name to walk with Him in a new place? There are times to go, but sometimes He asks us to stay. There are times when the choice of leaving is not in our hands. However, when it is, I believe the Lord wants it to be more about his leading us to journey with him more than about what is left behind.
Think about the Israelites for a second. Sitting in Egypt all they could do was imagine freedom. What they did not contemplate was how hard the voyage to the Promised Land would be. The Lord wanted them to focus on where he was taking them however, due to their “grass is greener mentality “ nothing was good enough. As you look around start by watering where you are planted, and keep seeking the Lord.