The other day Jeremy and I went to drop off my car for some maintenance work. As I stood waiting on him to finish talking to the mechanic, I noticed a beautiful house and yard, some ways behind the shop. Truthfully, now I can't recall exactly what the house looked like. But the rows of huge, towering shade trees are firmly planted in my memory. Not sure what kind they were, oaks maybe. I felt a little pang of longing, to be under those trees in a hammock, reading a book and sipping iced tea instead of leaving my car to be a one car family for two days, running errands and taking care of all the things that go on in a family of five. I had a lot of thoughts about this all at once. I, too, have a nice home and yard. It isn't grand, with rows of hundred year old oak trees. But it is cozy and pleasant, and thanks to my husband, more beautiful than it's ever been. Our yard is pleasant and pretty, and I call it all home. It's my safe haven. So I don't at all mean to be ungrateful. But it got me to thinking about how sometimes we, even if for a moment, want what others have. And at that moment, God spoke to my spirit: If you want that, are you willing to do what those people did to get it? Now in reality, I have some very nice trees in my backyard, and no more room to plant any that would grow very big. But if I DID have the room, and I DID plant the trees, it would be at least twenty years before I got to enjoy them at a size of that magnitude. So, here's the next question: Are you willing to sow something that you won't get to reap for a long time, if at all? Are we willing to sow into what our children and grandchildren, biological and spiritual, will reap?
Today as I drove to a substitute teaching job, I saw another beautiful home. White stucco with columns, probably not an old house, but built to have that same charm. I thought for an instant how nice it would be to sit on that porch and drink iced tea, but my very next thought was, "Who would pressure wash it when it got covered with red clay?". There is always a price, whether we are talking about the physical, or the spiritual. Some things aren't worth it, and some things aren't for us. And that's ok. A white stucco house probably isn't for me. But what about the things that ARE for me? Am I going to go after them? Am I going to sow into the dreams God has placed within me? Or watch others from afar, wishing for a magic button, while my own character suffers?
The next time you are envious, even a little, think about what it cost the people involved. That marriage where they still look at each other like newlyweds? Maybe they walked through hell and fought their way back. That dream job with six figures? Maybe that guy started out cleaning toilets just to feed his family, until he was able to work himself into a better job. That person that seems so close to God? God rescued that person, just as He did you and me. They are simply choosing to live out of love and gratitude for what He did. Those tiny seeds of faith you plant today, the weeding, the watering, the pruning, caring for the dreams He's placed within you will yield a life of strength and beauty.
As usual, this was more for me than anyone, but if it would challenge someone else, I am happy to share. I am going to have that glass of iced tea....on my own porch. :)
