In a world inundated with social media feeds showcasing "perfect lives," "perfect marriages," and "perfect careers," it's so easy to fall into the trap of believing the grass is greener someplace else.
Behind every marriage, every job, every family, and every friendship lies challenges, setbacks, and struggles that are often hidden from the public's eye. I have known 100% that someone was struggling but listened to them wholeheartedly tell someone everything was "perfect."
The pursuit of constantly chasing after what we perceive as "better" can lead to perpetual dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Discontentment is such a thief of joy. If not careful, we can find ourselves lodged in a state of never appreciating the current moment and always reaching for something beyond us.
Is it good to have dreams and goals? Yes! Is it good to be better than we were yesterday? Absolutely. Is it okay to want more for ourselves and our family? You bet! Is it okay to never be satisfied? Ehhh...maybe not.
If the grass underneath our feet isn't thriving.....whether it be at our job, in our marriage, or in our relationship with our children or family, it may be because we aren't spending enough time nurturing it, because we are rubber-necking what someone else seems to have or what someone else seems to be doing. Most of the time, we have zero clues about what that person has gone through to get to where they are today. And most of the time, we wouldn't want to go through what that person went through to get there.
Recently, I had someone in our industry give me a compliment regarding the social media work I have done for David Christopher's, asking me, "Did you know y'all's posts get more reactions than anyone's in our industry?" My honest reply was, "I didn't know. I just try to focus on what we have going on and not compare our page to others."
Have I always felt that way? No, but I have learned comparison never fairs well for me.
When we start to compare, one of two things happens. We either 1.) become filled with pride at how much better we are doing or 2.) feel envy or sadness or discontentment that we aren't where someone else is.
Neither of these options is advantageous.
Today, I challenge myself and anyone reading this to take the time to dig deep in your own emotional, spiritual, and mental yard and ask some questions about any discontentment you may have with your life. While grass being greener on the other side is oftentimes an illusion, an attitude of gratitude and blooming where you're planted is tangible and real.
All of life comes in seasons. Sometimes, our season in one place is over, and the grass is truly greener in another pasture. But hopefully, we will be making transitional changes based on a factual assessment of the situation and God's tender call to us and not our fleeting emotions.
