As the old saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. This saying goes back to the First Century BC and the Roman poet Ovid who said, "the harvest is always richer in another man's field." The saying speaks to the perspective of someone who is not happy with his possessions and covets what another has, when in fact he should be content as others are envious of what he has.
I must wonder if this was the perspective of the Pilgrims when a harsh winter resulted in the death of half of the Plymouth settlement. Did they think that they were better off staying in England, facing persecution for their beliefs? Yet, after picking up the pieces and with the help of the Patuxet Indian Tisquantum and the Wampanoag chief Massasoit, the Pilgrims accepted food donations and planted crops from Indian-donated seeds. This harvest in 1621 yielded well, and the Pilgrims celebrated with a feast. This feast, shared with the Wampanoag tribe, was a time of giving thanks – a 'thanksgiving dinner' that lasted three days.
It is easy to get caught up in wondering if the grass is greener on the other side. Particularly with technology, the phone or game system we just had to have a year or two ago seems so antiquated when the new one comes out and we can't stop thinking about how much we can't live without it. Yet, most of the rest of the world would be ecstatic to have what we have, and therefore we should temper our wants accordingly.
This is the season that we focus on being thankful and praising God for our many blessings. I challenge you to look beyond the season and give thanks throughout the year because when we take pause to inventory what we have we often find that our needs are much less than our desires.
A Scout is Reverent.