The grass is greener!

The Davis Boys
The Jones’s always seemed to be synonymous with the Davis Boys, or so it seemed. No we weren’t rich, but we really didn’t go lacking, or so I thought. Our parents know everyone in the city and the Davis’s are a great family…true, but I’ve come to see the truth of the grass always seems greener on the other side. Yea it’s green until you climb the fence, get up close, and begin to see all $h*% “feces” in the ground fertilizing that grass!

But really, almost like an out of body experience, looking at my life I realize that for a lot of people we were the Jones’s. For anyone that has ever been to my home, you know I refer to it as a live sitcom. You’re entertained by the dramatic antics of the characters in the house, but everyone likes all the characters…and at the end of every episode, there’s a great ending and always keeps you wanting more (or coming back to visit).

We were a close family, 2 parent household, with 2 boys always kempt, well-mannered, and destined for success. We had a great support system, grew up in the church, excelled in all we were involved in. All-star athletes, leads in school plays and music concerts, both class presidents in high school (7 of our 8 years), minister, strong Christians…. We weren’t ever in gangs or fell to the streets…always the well-raised kids. Had problems, yes? But problem children? Far from it. Sound good?


Well there’s an invisible pressure that goes along with that. The more people that put you on a pedestal, the more people you inevitably disappoint. The pressure creates fear and makes some of the simple things in life very difficult. It has taken me to experience life and maturity, to recognize that we are susceptible to difficult times.

It’s very true that the more you live life, the more you see and learn. I’ve come to a realization…Life’s pains, pressures, hardships and circumstances are not void of anyone. So many people share the same story. Yet we are so scared to share thinking that our story is different or unheard of. Sure it’s unique but there’s always someone of relevancy that can relate to the emotional state. So many of others’ situations that seemed so distant are sometimes reality and are very close. A lot of my life has seemed like a utopia or almost handwritten. Whereas so many people have crazy lifestories, or crazy testimonies…my life seemed quite simple…or so I thought. My life is my life…there’s no one else that could have lived it, or responded to life’s situations in the same manner.

But at the end of the day, James 1 tells us that trials produce character. So I’ll take the feces…it just makes my grass greener!