Greener Grass on the Other Side

"The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied."  

Psalms 37:18-19
 

 "Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons." I couldn't read one verse further without stopping to think about my own life...and yours.

You see, it seems we're often faced with days of famine in our lives. Famine...famished hunger. Obviously, no matter where we look, or into whose life we might decide to take a quick peek, there's famine everywhere. We sometimes find ourselves wondering about and longing for the greener pasture on the other side of the fence. We're all aware of the phrase, "The grass always looks greener on the other side."

Even today, I think about things that aren't quite "right" in my own life, things I wish I could wave a magic wand over and change for the better, pieces of the puzzle I long to move around into a different shape, to escape the drought, to satisfy the gnawing hunger inside. Life happens to us all, my friend, no one is exempt, it touches every life around us. Famine can come in all shapes and sizes, some deep wounds, some surface scratches or bruising. Some wretched eternal scars remain from gaping wounds. The pain is real!  And, it's all part of our journey. 

And that's the good news, I remind myself, as I think about the rest of the story of Ruth. We're just passing through, this world is not our home. We might rename ourselves, and look at ourselves and life differently than we used to - much like Naomi did. But one day, when Christ returns for His bride, we'll be carried away to our heavenly home forever; in a perfect place where we can no longer be touched by the ugliness and hurt of famine. A place where we shall long for nothing, we will be made complete, we will be perfected and He will make everything right. 

What a blessed assurance to get me (and you if you find yourself hungering) from point A to point B today. Knowing that, while we're here in this life, dealing with the effects of sin, experiencing famine in our lives...that He cares for us deeply, He knows exactly where we're at, the pain we may be in, and He longs to hold us close and satisfy us until the end of our famine. He is the fountain we must rely on to make it through. Let's be encouraged, the grass is definitely greener on the other side...we're just passing through.