How Green That Pasture

I love driving because I want to. I enjoy it the most when I’m able to turn up my music and just go. It’s long been an excellent time for me to just think about the things that are on my mind, to pray, spend quality time with God, and to just take in nature. It’s definitely one of my most enjoyable hobbies. One thing that I observed on a few of my distance drives is the difficulty of taking in what is on both sides of the road. I was so intent on taking in all the great things I was seeing on the opposite side, that I didn’t observe any of the equally amazing things that were on my side of the road. 

That happens to us throughout our lives. That saying The grass looks greener on the other side didn’t come from nowhere. It’s clear that outside looking in, things appear different. That’s why we sometimes need to take a deeper look. Since that’s something we can’t do with our eyeballs, it requires something more perfect than 20/20 vision. The issue is that we can’t always look that deep. It’s in those moments when we instead have to place our trust and reliance on God. 

I’m often reminded of this when I read the passage of David and Goliath. At first approach, David met the opposition of his brothers. The ones that may assume they knew him best. There was also an assumption that they knew what his intent was. They did not. For if they did, they would have recognized that this was all part of God’s plan. Samuel was in a similar situation when it came to selecting the next king for God’s people. What we see can often be a distraction. However, we also need to be alert enough to recognize the warnings in the things we see.

I’m a stickler for landmarks. I can tell you that a certain store is on your right, but don’t ask me what street that is! It takes quite some time before those street names stick. I feel that because of that, I’m aware of places around me. I always remember a few years ago when I attended a memorial service in an unfamiliar town. When it was time for me to leave, I hit the button on my GPS and hit the road. While driving, I couldn’t help but observe the familiarity of my surroundings. I definitely saw that store before. I definitely passed by the unfortunate deer that didn’t escape on my left. Something didn’t seem right. So I pulled to the side of the road and discovered that I somehow hit the wrong information and I was headed back the way I came! 

When that happens in our life, not all of us pump the brakes and pull to the side of the road. In some cases, people may not even take in their surroundings long enough to observe that the road they are on is a little familiar and not in a good way. In such times, we have to rely on God, not our GPS. When we are in need of direction and, even more so, clarity of those directions, God should always be our starting point. If we started with him first, than for many of us, perhaps things wouldn’t have gotten so offroad for us. So as we get back on the right road, make sure that God is the arrow of your compass.

Stay Sunny!

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