The grass is always greener on the other side, they say. If we reach for something different—something greater—we’ll somehow step into new, better life.

Have you ever felt this way, wondering if you could somehow get more out of life?

If you have, you’re not alone. In my own life, I frequently fall victim to this thought process.
If I just find the perfect job, I’ll feel valuable. If I just exercise more, I’ll feel confident. If I just find the right apartment in the right neighborhood, I can begin to host my friends.

As I longingly fix my eyes on this “greener grass,” I make false assumptions about the people who live the life I want to live. My friend who works for a prestigious company? He never feels inadequate. My friend who runs marathons? He never struggles with low self-esteem. My friend who lives in Manhattan? She hosts a dinner party every weekend.  

…I frequently fall victim to this thought process. If I just find the perfect job, I’ll feel valuable. If I just exercise more, I’ll feel confident.

Compared to these friends, my life feels dull and uninspiring. But once I settle into a steady job, start running every day and move into an adequate apartment, I’ll feel just like them—right?

Of course, this thought process presents many, many problems. My life wouldn’t magically change if I accomplished these goals, even though my mind tricks me into believing in greener grass. And my friends struggle with many of the insecurities I do, even if their lives look perfectly polished on the outside.  

I want to rely on God for the strength to stop fixing my eyes on greener grass—and start fixing my eyes on him.

Sure, I can dream about a near-perfect job. I can strive to live a healthy, confident life. And I can search for a warm, inviting apartment. But for the here and now, I want to feel happy. I want to feel content. And I want to rely on God for the strength to stop fixing my eyes on greener grass—and start fixing my eyes on him.

If you’re searching for more today, turn to God’s Word for contentment, joy and peace. These four Bible verses will get you started:

  1. Lord, help me to feel content.
    And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little.– Phillipians 4:11-12 (GNTD)
  2. Lord, help me to feel joyful.
    May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.– Romans 15:13 (GNTD)
  3. Lord, help me to rely on you for my needs.  
    And with all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs.– Philippians 4:19 (GNTD)
  4. Lord, help me to feel your peace.
    You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.– Isaiah 26:3 (GNTD)