"The Greenest Grass There Is"

Jeremiah 42.13-14 The Message

“But do not say, ‘We’re not staying around this place,’ refusing to obey the command of your God and saying instead, ‘No! We’re off to Egypt, where things are peaceful — no wars, no attacking armies, plenty of food. We’re going to live there.’”

Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? According to Ed Weller of Software Technology Transition, “While the grass may be greener, often it’s AstroTurf ®, and all you get is rug burn.” Like many business consultants, Mr. Weller believes that searching for greener pastures is a waste of energy. “You just need to learn how to… create an environment that will harbor your ideas”[1] and thus make your own brown grass a little greener.

I proved consultant Weller’s point for myself... I used to envy my neighbor’s manicured, green lawn. I already knew how to mow weeds, but a small investment in an edger, a fertilizer spreader, and a bag of Scott’s Turf Builder, made my grass the neighborhood’s new green standard.

Judah was tired of political conflict and poverty. Under constant attack by the Chaldeans of Babylon, war and hunger were the norm. The leaders of God’s people were prepared to leave the Promised Land eight hundred years after their arrival there and go back to Egypt where they came from. The prophet Jeremiah warned them against the “greener grass” syndrome:

“If you have determined to go to Egypt and make that your home,
then the very wars you fear will catch up with you in Egypt and the
starvation you dread will track you down in Egypt. You'll die there!”

Jeremiah 42.15-16 The Message

Change is necessary, but the change that is required is most commonly internal, not external. Changing locations or jobs or homes or careers or wives is usually not the best answer. Changing one’s attitude or opinion or outlook or approach or mind-set usually is. However, internal change is not possible without divine intervention. I need God if I expect to overcome my overwhelming temptation for “greener grass.” I need Him to cultivate a Christ-like attitude inside of me.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who… humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Philippians 2.5, 8 NASU

If I bring my un-redeemed attitude with me, the greener grass I settle in could be brown in no time. With Christ’s help, I can make my own green grass. Potentially, the greenest grass there is, then, is the grass I’m in.

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[1] “Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side of the Fence?” by Ed Weller at Sticky Minds.com, A Techwell Community (http://www.stickyminds.com/s.asp?F=S9554_COL_2).

The beautiful image above entitled "Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" is by gracious permission of photographer Gurpreet Singh from Jalandhar, India whose photostream you may view at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gps1/.