It’s the time of year when the temperatures are rising into the eighties which results in beautiful green Bermuda grass and a flourishing front lawn which receives uninhibited sun throughout the day. It’s an enjoyable process to mow, trim, and edge the yard so that it looks neat and tidy, especially when I invest the time in creating precise rows like you might find on a baseball diamond. And I am embarrassed to admit that my pride surges when a neighbor chooses to share a positive comment on how the yard appears, but I do find a sense of accomplishment in work done well. (Would it sound better to offer that I’m just stewarding the grass that God has blessed me with? Nah, that’s a bit much). However, I do enjoy the feeling that is captured in the words “job well done.”

For most of us who have been engaged in our vocations for an extended period of time, those of us who are seasoned at life, there are days when we truly feel God has us precisely where we are meant to be. Yet, we too, experience those lonely days when questions about our purpose plague us and we see Greener Grass in other people’s pastures, but not ours. This tension that arises from the struggle between living the abundant life of John 10 and finding purpose in where He has currently placed us is outlined so well in Franklin’s Acres of Diamonds. “But there are other times when the place we are in feels fruitless and unexciting, and while we may be tempted to cut bait and run, we just do not feel the release from God. You might be in this very situation right now. Deep in your spirit, you know that you know that you know that you are not supposed to quit, give up or leave the place God has called you to.” However, it is so easy to get caught up in the Comparison Trap of seeing the Greener Grass of everyone else’s life that we create a Blind Spot to what God is asking us to do right here, right now.

One of the things I find refreshing, even though it may mean struggling through trials and challenges, is that Franklin encourages us to lean into these moments, where many of the typical leadership and human performance writers urge a different approach, and the cancel culture of today says to cut and run when conflict arises, Franklin shares, “Your trials serve a purpose, so don’t run from them. Stay where you are and make it fruitful. When you stay in that place, you will learn more. You will grow more. You will become more. You will do more. God is turning up the pressure and the heat on you so that He can bring forth a diamond.”

I don’t know where you currently are in your life, but I don’t want the heat to be turned up, even if it produces a diamond. I want to see Beyond the Headlights, to see God’s plan so clearly that there is no mistaking where I am supposed to be serving, but more often than not, God is using a Waiting Room instead because He has some lessons I am supposed to be learning, and the door to the abundant or flourishing life only opens when I choose to Be Still and let Him know that I’m Listening. And for those who are not currently following God, how in the world do you not succumb to the temptation of seeking the Greener Grass of other places, especially when it is the deep, pure, crisp clover green with a Kelly green undertone of a perfectly manicured Bermuda lawn?

Rather than look at the Greener Grass of someone else’s calling, I have to intentionally choose to accept where He is using me now and to Trust and Obey that when I seek His guidance, He will lead me well. “Asking God for something is not just about Him giving you what you ask. It’s about Him preparing you to be able to handle it. It’s in the suffering, the hurting and the waiting that God can begin to mold and shape your soul, your heart and your ego. This does not happen in the high times. This does not happen when everything is going great and God is answering every prayer the way that you want. It’s about you becoming what He has called you to become. It’s about God being able to trust you with what you are asking Him to give you.” Whew, does this hit a nerve!

So, I close with a question that God is currently asking of me: In what ways might He be asking you to serve your mission and purpose in life in the current Season you are in and within your areas of influence? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Reference:

Franklin, J. (2020). Acres of diamonds: Discovering God’s best right where you are. Chosen Books.