The Grass is Always Greener

I was thinking about this this morning, and the trueness of this statement. I'm sitting in my lawn chair, in the shade, in February...because it's too warm in the sun. I'm home alone--well, with Aaron--because he has a cold, while the rest of my family is at church. It's quiet, I just mopped the floor...it's peaceful. Yes, I had a very rough night last night with Aaron--he was up for 1.5 hours (after his NORMAL waking time), crying for 1 solid hour of that and throwing up his congestion and coughing and being generally miserable. But God is good and Aaron slept until 8am. I slept until 9am (thank you, wonderful husband!). My point is, my life is good. My life is beyond good, my life is charmed. Truly. Then how come I regularly find myself looking at the lives of others and wishing for something different...not a different life, mind you, but something more like what "they" have. One illustration that comes to my mind is a friend of mine who used to be my neighbor. Every time I'd go to her house, we'd sit around, watch our children play, she'd have tea and a lovely snack and we'd just have a wonderful social time. In my mind, that's how her life was--always! She'd sit around with loveliness surrounding her, sipping sweet tea and nibbling scones while her darling children played near her. Hahaha...I know that this is NOT the reality...I know this friend well, I've seen her outside of this little fantasy life we'd enjoy from time to time, and that was NOT her life (even if she did own quite a bit of Pottery Barn furniture!). I think our minds (and especially some of us more than others) tend to run into this issue though. It's a lack of contentment...and I know that it's an issue of mine. My life is somewhat chaotic right now...I'm not going to lie, it's downright difficult at times, but man oh man, I LOVE my life so much. I love my babies, I love my husband, I love my home. No, it's not perfect, but it's mine, it is what the Lord has decided is what is best for me...and I have to agree!! No one has a perfect life, very few have a life of ease...usually we see what we choose to see and grasp onto THAT reality rather than counting our blessings and praising our wonderful Lord for all of His benefits:

Psalm 103

Of David.
Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Amen!