There are few things more beautiful to me than a huge green pasture dotted with massive oak trees, outlined with a white split rail fence, and sprinkled with multi-colored horses. Not far from my house, is a horse farm where that scene is a reality. I drive by the farm several times a week and think, wow, those horses have it made. They have plenty of green pastures to eat and roam, trees to stand under to get shade, this must be what horses dream about when they sleep.
Recently though, I drove by and saw one of these "lucky" horses with his head stretched through the white fence trying with all of his might to eat some of the grass on the other side of the fence. I thought to myself, that horse has lost his mind. He has acres upon acres of beautiful grass to eat, but he's twisting and turning trying with all his might to eat the grass that is on the other side of the fence which is no better than the grass he has on his side of the fence. Crazy right?
Then it hit me, we all at times are a lot like that "lucky" horse. God has blessed each of us with so much, but we are often not happy, not satisfied, not content. We want the bigger house, nicer car, better body, etc., because it's something we don't have. Even though our needs are currently met, when we see what's on the "other side of the fence," we suddenly are not happy and become fixated on the other side. So, what is behind this insatiable appetite for the other side? How do we reverse this trend? It's all about contentment. Hebrews 13:5 says, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Remind yourself of times when God has provided for you, remind yourself of the blessings you currently have. We all can look around and see others whose lives are much worse than ours. Contentment is not a "feeling", it is a conscious effort we must make to realize our blessings. Reminding ourselves of God's blessings in our lives helps us remain content and not longing for the "other side of the fence." This even applies to those suffering with health problems like cancer. It is so easy to get a case of the "poor me" disease. But, remind yourself of what you CAN do -- not what you CAN'T do. Can you walk, talk, bathe, read, without assistance? If so, focus on those blessings and use them to somehow help someone else. It could always be worse than it is.
So, look around at the green pastures in your own life and remind yourself that your side of the fence is not a bad place to be!
God Bless!
