The Grass is STILL Always Greener

Sometimes the human condition makes me laugh. Sometimes it makes me cry. But sometimes you really have to take a step back and examine the cartwheels your heart is practicing, when it wasn’t even made to be a gymnast in the first place.

For example, the lie that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s a saying that we’ve heard since elementary school. But I don’t think I’m alone when saying that it’s a lie I’ve believed for much more of my life.

What other people have always seems better. The lives other people live always seem more desirable. We find ourselves starting to contemplate all sorts of thoughts: "if I only lived in a nice house like hers I’d be happy; if I only had an attentive husband like hers I’d be content; if I only looked like her I wouldn’t be insecure," the list goes on and on.

Thinking like this can lead to some pretty horrible things. First off, it breeds comparison. It necessitates comparing the color of your lawn to the coveted hue of your neighbor’s. Comparison brings down self-esteem and self-worth, raises us against each other, and feeds jealousy and envy. We can quickly find ourselves wishing our friends didn’t possess whatever it is that we desire. We can find ourselves grasping after things in order to fill us.

But what if we look at this from the shoes of the one who owns the green grass?

I couldn’t count how many times in life I’ve strived after something and achieved it, just to be left feeling empty. But how quickly do I then turn to the next perceived best thing? When I was in high school, I thought a boyfriend would solve all my problems. Once I got a boyfriend, I turned so restlessly toward engagement. Once engaged, I was so impatient for the next step of marriage. Once married, I felt the urge to be pregnant. Once pregnant, I desired to have the baby born. The cycle goes on and on and on.

We’ve all experienced it in our own ways. And as for me, it made me angry. “Dang it, I’m STILL not content. I made it to the other side of the fence, just to discover yet ANOTHER side that even’s MORE desirable now.”

The “grass is always greener,” mentality also doesn’t always have to be between me and another. It can be between my current self and my future self. “If I only get my degree, I will be happy.” “If I only get my dream job, then I will be fulfilled.” “If I only move up the ladder, then I will feel secure.” “If I only get in shape, then I will start to feel beautiful.”

Friends, why are we putting our hearts and our minds through these cartwheels? Why are we always grasping for the next best thing? Why are we so focused on what will happen next? Why are our present gifts and blessings never enough?

I think there is a lot of beauty within our hearts to be revealed here. The truth is, our hearts were not made for this world. Everything in this world, every achievement or success or dream or desire, will never actually truly fill us. Nothing in this world can actually fill the entire ache in our hearts for something more.

Because our hearts were made for something more. More accurately, someone more.

As St. Augustine says: “Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You.”

God alone is the destination and fulfillment of our hearts. We will finally be filled when we encounter Him fully in Heaven.

So, in a way, the grass IS greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener on the other side of eternity. The grass is greener in Heaven. And everywhere we turn on earth to find that color, is just a taste of what’s to come.

So in the mean time, let your heart rest. Let it desire green grass. Let it recognize it’s own homesickness to be at peace with the Person who made it. Allow yourself the freedom to acknowledge that even the most pedicured lawn here cannot compare to what we have coming.

And in the waiting, let yourself sit on the dry, brown, dirt sometimes. Try to stop rushing after thing after thing. Try to stop the comparison. Try to better yourself and your life, but be at peace where you are, without always looking next door. Try to tear down the fences between you and others, rather than peeking enviously over the top. And try to remember, you never know who might think your grass is the greenest in town.

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