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One morning, the horses were tired of running, so they stayed huddled together in the chilly air. Mr. Jenkins entered the pasture through the heavy gate, as tending to them was his first chore every morning.
And he gazed out over all of his farmland and was saddened by what he saw. "My, oh my, how shabby this grass does appear!"
"And look over there! The grass across the street looks deep in color, lush and flourishing!” He declared angrily.
“I will have to work hard to make my grass look as brilliant as Mister Benny Claremont's across the street! He called for his horses to come out of the field, so that he could focus completely on his problem. “Claire, Rodey and Wilton, follow me!" He shouted.
The horses obeyed Mr. Jenkins order and began following him. He led them to their stables and locked them in their stables. He went back to the pasture and tried to study each blade of grass. But he could not do it. “Looking closely at each blade of grass wouldn’t have helped anyway,” he muttered, before trying to fall asleep.
The next day, he continued to fret over his problem. Then he looked up and down the road. ‘Oh, there’s Mister Benny Claremont. He’s looking at his pasture, just like I’m looking at mine, only he’s smiling! I’ve got to ask him about his secret. But how can I get his attention?’ he wondered.
Then, he wandered onto the road and headed toward Benny’s farm, without looking in his direction and thanked God when Benny waved to him and started heading toward him.
“Hey Benny!” Mr. Jenkins shouted. “I was just admiring your pastures. How did you get your grass so green?”
“Well, at first I had an awful time. I spent so much time and money trying all sorts of lawn products, but nothing worked. Then, I finally came to my senses and started seeking God. I asked Him to help me. He led me to the best products on the market, but He also made it clear that nothing will work if I fail to seek Him. Because when we focus on our problems, that only causes them to become bigger. I used to waste my time being jealous over the success of other farmers nearby, which God also helped me see and grow out of. But, I should also warn you, be sure that you don’t expect results immediately. You have to have patience……Just like I had to learn; we all have to wait on the Lord.”
Benny shook Mr. Jenkins’ hand. He even told him about those products that worked for his grasses. Mr. Jenkins thanked him and went back across the street. Then, he went into town and purchased those products that Benny had used and applied them to his pastures.
But every day after applying the products, he would go back to his farmhouse and worry and fret over his problem.
This continued for several more months, until one morning, the Lord reminded him that he was forgetting everything that Benny had told him. But also, much like Benny, he too was jealous. And jealousy is not from God. It hinders people in many ways……But, God helped Benny when he learned to trust Him.
“Oh, now I see! Thank you God for showing me what I was doing wrong,” he exclaimed. But, as was his habit, he forgot to pray for His help, which kept him in his fretting frenzy for a while longer….
Therefore, even though he switched his lawn products, his pasture remained brown and dull. And even though he was feeling exhausted, he went down to the barn to see what sort of products he had on his shelves anyway. “There’s nothing here that I haven’t already tried! So I don’t know why I’m driving myself crazy looking at all the inferior products on this shelf!”
He continued to shout in his head, as he made his way back to his farmhouse to sit down and rest his head, but his pondering kept him from getting any rest at all.
The following morning, while he was tending his horses, he felt something strange come over him. It seemed like God was telling him that his horses, if it were possible, were more grateful than he was for all that the Lord had done for him and for his farm. And even though he knew that wasn’t the case, he knew the point God was making. He always had food on the table, his crops were always ready at due season, even without the grass being perfect, which means that God was there for him. But all he had noticed was that his pasture wasn’t as green as Mr. Claremont’s. If only he could learn to trade his jealousy for trust and patience, like Benny.
And as he stood amazed by their beauty, the horses seemed like they were having a celebration of joy all their own. And Mr. Jenkins kept the beauty of that moment deep within his heart, as a reminder to pray and seek the Lord.
The other horses were able to hear Rodey from their stalls. They bowed their heads and were peaceful. Wilton didn’t see damage when he looked down at the leaky hose with its cracks, curled up in the corner; he just saw that this farm was well-equipped. And the same thing happened when Rodey looked down. And when Claire looked down. They didn’t see the walls that needed painting or the tiny holes in the bottom of the water buckets and troughs. They just raised their heads up to heaven and made a sound like they were praising God just for being alive.
While the horses rejoiced, or as they seemed to anyway, Mr. Jenkins chose not to try his old sprays, solutions and warming practices yet again. He decided to put his mind on peace and joy and gratitude, and most of all, trust in God, rather than jealousy and anger over the grass being greener across the street. Even still, his grass did not change one bit in color or sheen as the sun set that evening.
He went to bed with the joy of his horses on his mind and thanked God that he could always keep that memory as a reminder to trust Him. He awoke in the morning refreshed and renewed in spite of his problem. He went down to the stables to tend to his beautiful horses.
"They're still sleeping. I think I'll go and take another look at my fields," he said to himself. "My, oh my, what has happened?" he exclaimed. "My grass is so beautiful and green! And my crops look amazing!"
That evening while he rested from his busy day, he thanked God for the miracle of his grass turning green and healthy overnight, because he learned to wait on the Lord and to put his trust in Him and His Guidance and Provision, rather than focus completely on his problems and deal with everything all alone. Because, as he learned, worry only made his problems worsen and led to allowing jealousy to grow bigger and taller than his crops.
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:4)
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Linzy is a children's author, Christian writer, including Bible Prophecy reporting. Her portfolio includes, poetry and short stories for all ages.