Greener on the Other Side!

It is amazing how many people actually look at the lives of others and covet what they have.  Is it human nature to always want more?  Can people ever be satisfied with what they have?  No matter how much God bless us with, we can always find something else to ask for just from looking at the lives of friends, family, and strangers.  For some reason the grass always appear greener on the other side. 

My mother recently decided she wants a new house.  She had a list of things that was wrong with her house.  She went from it being old to the house having bad memories in it.  She couldn’t bring herself to find the good things nor any of blessings that are stored in this house.  From her perspective everyone else has a new house, so she deserved one too!  What I failed to tell you is that her home is paid for free and clear.  This means no mortgage payment!  So, to her the grass looks greener on the other side, but to me, it looks greener on her side.  Most families are working hard everyday to pay off a mortgage in order to provide a nice safe environment to raise their kids, in which my mother already has.  I just wanted to use her as example of how we are quick to lose sight of our own blessings, while coveting others. 

As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “... there is nothing new under the sun.”  Just like the Children of Israel we are never satisfied.  These were God’s chosen people and they had everything they could ever need.  But, they still found ways to be unfaithful to God, by chasing after other gods to worship, all the time believing they could find something better. The Children of Israel believed that the grass was always greener on the other side. 

The grass is always going to be greener on the other side, especially if we are worshipping the wrong person, place, or thing!  If a friend appears to have a stronger marriage, fancier car, or bigger house, praise God for them and what he is doing in their life.  Then, praise God for your marriage, house, or car that God has blessed you with! Because you can always go up, but you don’t want to come down! Someone, is always going to have more than you, but that doesn’t make you any less blessed! God will give you gifts according to his will, whether it is spiritually or physically.  Who are we to reject or be dissatified with God’s blessings? 

How can we be humble with the gifts we already have?  Why does the grass look greener on the other side?  Does it go away with our maturity in Christ?