Psalm 23:1-3 
“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.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” 

How often do we look at other people’s lives and wish we had it their way? How often do we long for their “easy” life and say “if only”. The famous saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” is all too real for many people today. They believe if they could just get this house, just earn this amount of money, just get this job position, just get this spouse… then they’ll be happy. 

“The Lord is my guide and knows whats best; I shall not want what other people have.” 

While working on a cattle ranch in Colorado, I noticed that not only do humans have this desire for whats on the other side of the fence—but cows do too. How many times have you driven along the road and seen a cow leaning all of its weight on the barb wire fences just to get those blades of grass that aren’t in their field. They stretch the fence and scar their skin while the same grass is on the ground next to them—if only they would look for it. 
Sadly there are way too many cow-to-human comparisons to share, but this one just might hit home. Are you trying to stretch the boundary lines to get your happiness and fulfillment… eventually scarring yourself in the process? 

While I was interviewing for that job on the cattle ranch, my dad and brother decided to come along and go backpacking with me up at a cow camp that the ranchers owned. It was about 3 hours from civilization, with miles of rolling, green hills. I had never really hiked among fields of wildflowers and I was so excited that we would get to camp in them. 
After a few hours of backpacking in, I saw a beautiful outlook of the mountain ranges, and asked if we could make camp there. My dad and brother looked at me and smiled, because they knew what I didn’t—meadows are bumpy. As soon as I took a step off the well beaten trail with my 50 lb pack on, I almost rolled an ankle. Meadows, from far away, are one of the prettiest sights nestled among a mountain range. They bring color and vibrancy to a neutral palette. But once you step in them, you realize how messy they are. 

I believe that life is the same way. Maybe you’re looking at someone’s life from far away, and it looks beautiful, vibrant and unique—while you’re standing in your meadow with lots of cows, lots of poop and few flowers.  

Probably many, if not all of us have been in a season or two where we feel like we’re standing in that field. But I love how Psalm 23 illustrates the life that God wants to lead us through. 

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake.”

I encourage you today to not look at your field in comparison to someone else’s, because as you begin to live and work and build relationships in that field, it becomes unique to you. It grows new roots and new life springs forth from it. It can become the green pastures, still waters, paths of righteousness promised to you in the psalm. 

Your life is a meadow— it’s up to you what kind.