Jump Start # 4095

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

The Greener Grace Syndrome

People often envy the very people who envy them. A preacher sat back in his chair listening to the man seated across from him complain about the difficulties he had in his life. The prominent businessman was regretting that he had chosen the line of work he was in. He knew he should be grateful. After all, since he had bought the majority position in the company, the stock had split twice. He had excellent year end bonuses. He and his wife had enjoyed visits to Europe, Australia, the Orient, and most recently, the Iron Curtain.

But he fought a lot of guilt. He had once pursued the pulpit, but took a side road in college that placed him in secular work for good. He went on to outline how much he envied the preacher’s knowledge of the Bible and his grasp of spiritual insights. He wished that he had the time to explore the treasures of the Bible and could have such an impact in the lives of people as the preacher had. Furthermore…

The preacher looked past the businessman’s tailored suit to the window through which he could see the two cars parked outside his study. They were the same color, but that was as far as the comparison could go. As soon as the appointment was over, the preacher would have to take his aging Pontiac home so that his wife could borrow it to run her errands. The odometer broke at 178,000 miles two years ago. The businessman drove the latest luxury sports car.

As the businessman rambled on about what a spiritual loser he was, the preacher studied the picture framed on the corner of his desk. His two children smiled so broadly and so proudly. They were too young to be self-conscious. But in a few years, they’d realize what the preacher already knew. Their teeth needed elaborate orthodontic work. But it wasn’t going to happen on his paycheck. He kept thinking of all the times the businessman had said to him, “Preacher, with your skills, you could have knocked ‘em dead in the business world.” The businessman never knew that money was one of the biggest temptations in the preacher’s life. How the preacher envied the businessman. He knew that he could never live in a house like the businessman did. He could never travel like the businessman did. The preacher had often thought of quitting preaching and going to work in a company similar to the businessman’s. Both men envied each other.

Changing positions wouldn’t solve either one of these men’s problems. Both men were ungrateful and unaware of the great roles that they played. Their dissatisfaction was not in what they didn’t have, but in a  failure to see what good they could do where they were. Both men were talented. Both men felt that they were missing out. The businessman felt he was a failure spiritually. The preacher felt he was a failure financially. Both men were measuring themselves by each other. They were both unhappy.

The more we measure our significance by other people’s accomplishments, the less we’ll be able to feel at rest in our daily lives. So often, we wish we had the other person’s job, or lifestyle.  Coveting, greed and jealousy are sins (Gal. 5:19-21). We need to be content. We need to be ourselves. We need to do all that we can with our abilities. Wondering what might have been, only makes us lonely and depressed. It makes us feel like failures. It makes us worry. Both the businessman and the preacher need to realize that God has gifted them and given them unique opportunities to serve Him in their own worlds. The businessman with his resources could do much good for the kingdom financially. With his many contacts, the businessman is given opportunity to reach many people for the Lord. The preacher with his abilities could change lives and enrich them for the kingdom. Both men are needed. Both could do a lot of good.

Don’t waste time wishing you were doing something else. Find ways to serve the Lord right where you are.

The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but it still has to be cut just the same.

Roger

April, 2009