“If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.” – Numbers 32:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 25, 2012): Numbers 32

The grass always seems to be greener somewhere else. This summer my wife and I did some work on our front yard. To be honest, we sometimes think that our yard kind of brings down the look of the neighborhood. And this is not our first stab at doing something about the problem. We even had a professional landscaper come in to do some work a few years ago, but we did not quite get what we wanted from the experience. So, this year we tried again. And I think it does look better, but we still have some problem spots that we just have not been able to solve.

Having said that, the other day I noticed how great our yard looks from the street. From the street all of the problem spots just seem to disappear. And with new eyes I looked around at the lawns of the other houses on my block. Is it possible that the reason why all the other lawns always seem to look so much better than mine is because I always look at them from the street – they look good because I never get close enough to them to really see them?

That is the situation in a lot of what we see. And the temptation that is always with us is that if we just go a little further we will find something better. And sometimes the hardest thing we can ever be asked to do is to be happy right where we are.

If there is something powerful that comes out of this story, it is that Reuben and Gad had recognized the place that was suitable for their requirements – a place where they could stay and be happy. They had the ability to stand on the land and say that this is the place that they had dreamed about. We are told that both tribes were large, and not taking an inheritance inside of the Promised Land would leave more land for the other tribes to inherit. And so they came respectfully to Moses, recognizing that he was the leader of the nation, and asked for their inheritance right where they were.

The better part of wisdom might be learning when to recognize the good things right where we are, and when we need to move on to a better place. And my guess is that too often we move on, and the prize we receive is the same problems we wanted to get away from in a different place. Blessed is the person who is content in the space that they already occupy. Be happy where you are!

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Numbers 33