Enjoying the Grass I Have Been Given
“So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.”
(Psalm 73:16–17, NLT)
Growing up on the farm, it always stuck out to me how cows always tried to get the grass on the other side of the fence. No matter what kind of fence it was, they always reached as far as they could to eat what was on the other side. Even when they had plenty of green grass on their side.
What I have learned in life is that I am often just like cows. Instead of enjoying what the Lord has gifted me, I look at and covet what others have. Instead of appreciating what I have inside my “fence” or life, I look to the other side of the fence and wish for what is over there. The grass so often seems “greener” on the other side, and too often I miss seeing all the blessings already received.
I have found myself again in this place … wishing for things different or better than what I already have. Is this something you are experiencing? I would even suggest this is something we are communally going through. We wish for life without COVID. We wish for “normalcy” in our schedules and activities. Often, we find ourselves wishing we had the finances, freedoms, or situations our friends or neighbours have.
But it is important we embrace our own spot in life. Especially if we are trusting God and believing He is in sovereign control over our lives, then we must choose to accept our spot in life as what He ordained for us. It is not until we accept our circumstances, it is not until we trust God one day at a time, it is not until we release our cares to Him, that we will be able to embrace and enjoy the place God has us.
My thoughts have been drawn to this after reading Psalm 73. This may feel like a random psalm, one we are not often drawn to. It is a psalm written by Asaph. He was looking at the lives of others, wishing his life was more like theirs; he saw their wealth and wished it was his, he saw their seemingly problem-free lives and wished for that also, he saw them flourish despite not putting on holiness and felt as though all his efforts at holiness were for nothing.
In verses 16&17, he writes, “So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:16–17, NLT)
Asaph realized he was looking through a very human and limited lens. So, he went into worship; he joined his faith family / his church in worship and gained clarity on both the lives of those he was watching and his own. He was reminded to take a spiritual long-term perspective; he was reminded of both the blessings promised the one who walks by faith and the judgement promised the one who lives by earthly values.
We are reminded here to value the simple parts of life, to enjoy and appreciate the “grass” we have been given inside the fence of our lives. This does not mean we do not grieve particular realities of our lives; it does not mean we love every part of life. But it does mean we make a deliberate choice to value what God values. It means making the deliberate choice (like Asaph) to be a part of a church family and to worship together – as that is where God makes Himself most evident.
(As will be aired on Shepherd’s Voice, CIAM radio the week of October 18-22.)