Where the Grass is Greener
By: Abraham Raymond Eli
Tags: The Good Shepherd, Decision Making, Obedience, Sheep, Christianity

The expression, “where the grass is greener” refers to the location where one’s desire for satisfaction and fulfillment can be abundantly met.

It is human nature to desire the best location for oneself — where one’s desires would be met — whether it be jobs, business ventures, education, ideas, friendship, prosperous nations to emigrate to, religious affiliations or denominations, etc.

In the quest for “where the grass is greener”, there is a somewhat similarity between some animals and humans.

Sheep or goat

Sheep love green pastures. They neither forage nor scavenge. These are activities engaged in by goats, pigs, vultures, rats, etc. To get to green pastures, sheep always depend on the shepherd to take them there. And this is where we find the difference between sheep and goats.

While goats fend for themselves, sheep are dependent on the shepherd. Indeed, where there is no shepherd, the sheep is lost! Goats, on the other hand, can cope without a shepherd, however, they end up foraging and scavenging.

A shepherd would usually go ahead of the sheep to scout for where the grass is green and then come get the sheep to the place. But goats have no such support, as they just go on their own and take up whatever they find.

Relating this analogy to man

Human beings fall into one of these two categories: sheep and goats. While some people are dependent on the Shepherd, others would rather go out on their own not having any need for a shepherd.

For those who go out on their own, they have to search every nook and cranny for what they need, and like goats, end up foraging and even scavenging — picking up anything they can find in trash bins, including rejects, to consume. Those who forage and scavenge believe that they must fend for and depend on themselves for everything. Some even say:

“Heaven helps those who help themselves!”

In other words, if you don’t help yourself, heaven will not help you!

Although this saying has gained much popularity, it is nonetheless not a statement of truth! If anything at all, heaven wants to help those who admit that they need heaven’s help!

Some human beings, on the other hand, like sheep, depend on the One Shepherd — God — who can take them to where the grass is green.

Man and his Shepherd

The Bible tells us of one such human being who depended on this Shepherd. What is interesting about this individual is that he was a king! Ordinarily, one would not expect a king to need a shepherd, yet this king needed one. He was also a psalmist and penned Psalm 23 in this regard. He wrote in part:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” (Psalms 23:1–2, NKJV).

This popular Psalm speaks of the sheep’s trust in the Shepherd and as a result, its absolute dependence on Him for sustenance.

This was King David’s testimony — a world leader of repute in his day — having to depend on God for everything! Can you imagine a world leader today depending on God to run his government and broadcasting it to all and sundry?

This would be considered highly unbecoming. But this is what heaven wants.

Where the grass is greener?

There was a man named Lot whose herdsmen disagreed with the herdsmen of his uncle, Abram, over land for their respective herd. To resolve the matter, Abram decided that a separation was expedient; so, he gave his nephew, the right of the first choice.

Lot looked around and saw the well-watered land of Sodom and Gomorrah; or, at least, so he thought, and, in his limited understanding of things, he chose to relocate there.

But there was a problem of far-reaching consequences. Unbeknownst to Lot, God’s judgment was hanging over those cities because of the moral decadence of the inhabitants.

Lot could not have imagined that such a well-watered land was under God’s imminent judgment. First, the cities were conquered in battle, and, its inhabitants, including Lot, taken into captivity (Genesis 14:1–12) — although Lot and the other captives were later rescued by his uncle Abram and his militia!

Later on, however, when these cities were destroyed by God, what followed was the loss of Lot’s wife and the horror of the incestuous action of his daughters which resulted in them giving birth to children by him (Genesis 18:16–21; 19:1–38).

What seemed at first like the right decision to relocate to a seemingly “well-watered” land, had turned into a nightmare and a miserable future of his entire lineage. Indeed, as the adage goes, “Not all that glitters is gold!”

Decision-making in an age of uncertainty

There are many people who, like Lot, have made decisions based on limited information and projections that have no bearing on the future. All they saw were “beautiful” vistas of the future in their limited knowledge, but have ended in bitter regret afterward.

Some marriages shouldn’t have been entered into in the first place; some business partnerships shouldn’t have been made; some job offers should have been turned down; some business propositions should not have been considered; and, decisions to visit places labelled as churches should never have been made.

Unfortunately, these decisions were made and consummated with high hopes, but sadly today, many are suffering irreparable damage, and singing the proverbial “Had I known” song.

Is all lost?

The Big Question is:

“Is all lost for you, if you have made such horrendous mistakes?”

And the resounding answer is: “No!”

If you would hand over your life to the Shepherd whom King David handed his affairs to — Almighty God — He will right the wrongs in your past and set you on the right path, provided you are willing to follow Him for the rest of your life.

Lessons from the sheep and his Shepherd

It is said that to be wise, you can either walk with wise men or learn from the mistakes of fools.

Some people have not made horrendous mistakes yet, but they are at the precipice of some major decision: Where should I live? What should I be doing? Who should I partner in business? Who should I marry? Should I relocate to a foreign country? Which religion should I follow?

These are not casual decisions to be made and what better time than now, to receive wise and Godly counsel?

The advent of the novel coronavirus has proven how limited man is in determining the parameters that can help him make effective decisions.

If people had known about the coronavirus, some of them would not have started new businesses or changed jobs at the beginning of the year. To forestall such mistakes in the future, we document below lessons that we can learn from the sheep, King David (the Psalmist), and even Lot.

1. You must admit that you need the Shepherd — God.

King David admitted that he needed a Shepherd when he wrote Psalm 23. This is always a very good place to start because we have limited knowledge of the future.

So limited is man’s ability to predict events, that he is unable to predict with certainty what will happen within the next five minutes! This is one reason why every man needs to go to God, whose knowledge is infinite and flawless. God knows about events long before they happen.

Indeed, He goes out ahead of those who accept Him as their Shepherd, to search out the perfect place “where the grass is green.” (Deuteronomy 1:33).

2. You must trust the Shepherd.

If you don’t trust God, you cannot accept His decision without question. So, why should you trust God?

Firstly, He created you. Secondly, He loves you with a love that man cannot comprehend. Thirdly, He is concerned for your wellbeing and would want to bring you to that green pasture, but only if you will let Him.

Finally, He has a plan for your life — God created you for a purpose and if you would just trust Him (like the sheep does the shepherd), all will go well with you.

3. All that glitter is not gold.

Unlike Lot who thought that what he was seeing with his eyes was all there was to the issue of relocation, we must not be deceived into thinking that “All that glitter is gold!”

The journey to green pastures may be mountainous, rocky, and sometimes dotted with treacherous landscapes, but these are just the terrain and vistas on the way to green pastures!

Some have gone through such terrain in the affairs of life, and have lost hope and given up on life, just when they were at the brink of entering the green pasture. But when you follow the leading of God — the Good Shepherd — you will not suffer damage or be lost in the journey to green pastures.

4. To succeed in any endeavor with God, you must be completely obedient to Him.

Note that God loves you absolutely and cannot bring you to a place of irredeemable hurt. He has perfect knowledge about time and space and has plans for you that no man can comprehend (Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Corinthians 2:9).

Thus, it is proper to rely on Him absolutely and obey His every instruction. God does not make suggestions. He gives His children instructions that are to be obeyed if they are to be blessed by Him. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to obey God’s word. And note that partial or incomplete obedience is not obedience!

5. The grass is always green where God leads.

Whether it is to a foreign country or a remote village, God leads us to where we shall be optimally useful in His kingdom. He is willing to lead as many as are willing to be led by Him. The question is:

“Are you willing to be led by God?”

While sheep patiently wait for the shepherd to lead them to green pastures, goats do not have that patience; so, they end up foraging and scavenging.

Those individuals who have handed over the care of their lives to God through Jesus Christ, like sheep, endure and patiently wait for God to take them to green pastures.

These are not necessarily those who are religious or who attend church meetings; rather, they are those who trust God alone for everything about their lives: their salvation, sustenance, and security, to mention a few.

Individuals likened to sheep do not seek to use God to achieve their selfish purposes rather, they love the Good Shepherd so dearly that they obey Him in all things.

The next step

If you examine yourself and discover that you are not in the fold of “sheep” (even though you may be attending church regularly), now is the time to commit to handing over your life to God.

This will require that you recognize and admit to God that you are a sinner with a sinful nature; genuinely repent of your sins; receive God’s forgiveness and the provision of Jesus Christ, His Son, as your Saviour and Lord — and remember that “Lord” implies that He is to be obeyed without question!

Following the Lord Jesus Christ marks the beginning of a new personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, who has always been waiting and wanting to lead you to the place where the grass is truly always green! And like the Psalmist, you can then say in praise and thanksgiving,