Greener Pastures

Once there was a boy, who was crazy about toy bikes. On his seventh birthday, there was nothing he didnt do to make sure he got his wish, he helped his mum in the kitchen, he took out the garbage, did his home work without prompting, helped his father in keeping away the heavy tools he used for his carpentry trade. on the morning of his birthday, confident that he had 'paid his dues', he made his way out of his cupboard-like room to the living room to find his mum beaming holding a large, crudely wrapped gift. without further ado he grabbed the gift from his mother and opened it. The excitement died from his face and was replaced with anger, "dont you like it?" his concerned mother asked. the boy started at the used toy bike with holes and scratched paint and turned his face to his mother, 'I wanted a brand new one!" he wailed as tears coursed down his face. It was the worst day ever for the boy, not only was the toy bike scrap, it didnt have wheels and it couldnt move like he envisioned, he took the toy bike and hid it inside his tiny wardrobe where he would never set eyes on it again. Months went by and the house next to theirs was sold and a new family moved in. One morning, standing on tip toes by the picket fence that demarcated the homes, he spied a boy his age step out of the other house. The boy looked around, not finding anyone to play with went back into the house. Moments later, he came out with a big colorful toy bike with wheels! The boy gasped as he remembered again that this was exactly what he wanted and worked so hard for! He ran back into his house and had a good cry. Every day after school, the other boy rode his bike alone. Finally after several months, the other family invited the boy and his parents to sunday lunch, he couldnt contain his excitement! Finally, he thought, a chance to ride the other boy's bike and show his parents what he wanted in the first place. Church that sunday was so boring and so long as the boy practically willed the preacher to stop talking and round  up. Eventually church was over and they headed to their neighbour's home. They were met at the door by the other boy and his parents, when the introductions were over, they were invited into the living room and the other boy invited the boy to come to his room, "where is your bike?" he asked unable to contain his excitement, "right here" the other boy replied, "would you like a ride?" "yes!" he screamed as the other boy wheeled out the bike. The boy bend down for a closer look at his dream bike and discovered that the bike was old, with few holes, and the pedal was held in place by some copper wires! This wasn't the brand new bike he saw everyday, he thought as the other boy stood by proudly, "but its old and worn!" he exclaimed, "yup!" the other boy replied, "but my dad and I worked really hard to put it back together!" he said proudly. The boy could see that the tires were crudely cut out of rubber, he stared at the bike and the other boy's proud beaming face and it finally dawned on him! He could work to make his bike better too. Racing into the living room he went straight to his father, "dad, please can you help me fix my bike?" he asked, His father looked at him and said, "on one condition" he paused as the boy wondered what chores he had to do to pay for the fix, "we do it together!" the father declared, "YES!" the boy screamed as he ran out again to play with the other boy. The boy and his father had worked hard on his bike, in the end the father told him he will finish up and present the bike to him on Christmas morning. On Christmas day, he ran out again and went straight to the small Christmas tree they managed to decorate, underneath was a large gift, wrapped in nylon Christmas papers. the boy reached for it slowly, though he knew it was his old bike and he had worked on restoring it with his father, he didn't know what else his father had done to it. Carefully unwrapping the papers, he saw that his father had painted the bike, filled out the holes and smoothened the rubber tires they added, it looked like a brand new bike. he turned with tears in his eyes and saw his father waiting expectantly, rushing into his arms, he thanked his father repeatedly then turning to his mother, "I'm sorry mum, this is the best gift ever!" It was a very merry Christmas indeed! THE END
The problem with us humans is that we always think the grass is greener at the other side, we complain about our jobs, bitch about our environment while dreaming that somewhere or someone else's job is better than ours. Yesterday, after work, I had to get some gas for my car and there's been scarcity so I was on the queue for hours! Just when it was two cars away from getting to the pump, they stopped selling! My tank was empty, I got down and walked to the office and had to beg one of the attendants to just sell enough for me to get home. Eventually I was able to fill my tank and when I got home, I was so discouraged and tired, I was just murmuring to God about the state of our country when my younger sister entered. She was so happy to be home, she had to wrestle to get into a commercial bus just to get home! I realized that no matter how bad we think we have it, someone else is envying us and wishing they could be like us while we are busy looking else where and wishing we were there! And on and on it goes, but I want you to learn from the story, work with what you've got! Make it work for you! The grass isn't really greener on the other side, its probably just the same as yours. Ask God for help in working what you have and you will see how great that  job or wife or home or whatever it is you have you dont value becomes! When Moses met with God and God asked him, "what's that you've got in you hand?" You think if Moses knew that his staff could part the red sea or change into a serpent he would have replied so casually? Take a closer look at that thing again and I dare to ask you, "What's that you've got there?" God can use it!All you have to do is ASK!
Ciao!