Brown Grass Here Too

"If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt.  There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!" Exodus 16:3

Brown Grass Here Too!
By Rev. William Dohle

They say "The grass ain't always greener on the other side..."  But as much as we know that this is true...we live like it isn't.

Think about how often we complain about things.  We complain about politics: our President isn't going things right, our governor is botching things up, and don't get us started about Congress!  At work it's our boss, or a fellow employee.  At church, it's the pastor or another parishoner.  At school, it's the teacher, another kid in the room, or perhaps even the principal.  At home it's our kids or our spouse and the attention(or lack of attention) they pay to us.

There's always something to complain about!

And, when we complain, we always wish things were different.  "If only..." there were a new president, a new pastor, a different employee THEN, we say, things would be better.  Then I'd be happier, content, fulfilled.

But even when things change we still find something to complain about.  A short time after the change has happened, we look fondly backward across the fence again.  We're never happy!

We're as bad as the people of Israel were back at the time of the Exodus!  They hadn't spent any time at all in the desert when their hunger pains brought complaints to their lips.

"If only we had died by the Lord in Egypt.  There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted..."

Funny part about this complaint is...just like everything else we complain about...it's just not literally true!

The people weren't sitting around pots of meat.  They were slaves of Pharaoh.  They weren't eating whatever they wanted.  They were starving!  The Pharaoh had even ordained that their children be put to death.  Sure, God had blessed them in Egypt, but now God was taking them to their promised land.

Surely they could see the good in that...right??  Surely they could see the journey God had taken them on and that the place they had just left wasn't all that great.  Surely the could see that, right?  Not hardly!

This is the first time the people complain, but this isn't the last.  The people constantly complain against Moses.  They have a short memory, so they can't see how God could provide for them here, out in the wilderness, just as God provided for them in Egypt.

We too fall into that trap.  Literally!  We too forget the blessings we've been given and focus instead on the "greener grass" we're sure we'll find on that other side of the fence.

"When we get a new President...then..."
"When we get a new pastor...then..."
"When my kids graduate from high school...then..."
"When I finally quit this job...then..."

Then, what?  Then life will be better?  Life will be grander?  Then our problems will all fade away?

Maybe... but even then I wager we'll find other things to complain about.  Even on that other side of the fence, we'll realize there's still brown spots...and be looking for someplace even better.

Instead of looking for greener grass there or anywhere, perhaps we should focus on what God has done here, remembering even the small things are gifts from God.  The food we ate was a gift from God.  Our family, as messed up as they are, are gifts from God.  Even the air we breathe has been given to us.  Maybe if we realized what we've already been given we can truly step away from the people of Israel and say:

"Yes I'm hungry, tired, confused, frightened NOW...but I'm sure that God will provide as God has provided in the past!"

Thank you, God, for listening to my complaints.  Thank you for understanding my humanity and forgiving my sinfulness.  Help me trust you more fully for everything.  Amen.