Is The Grass Truly Greener?

Or are you just green? I pose this question to you the next time you find yourself daydreaming about the other side and how much greener the grass is over there. A friend of mine, during a conversation in which she was complaining about her job, said to me that she couldn't wait until she was married and had a child so she could stay at home like me. I laughed at her comment and remarked, "the grass is always greener, right?" Then I told her about my week last week (in which I had 2 sick children which meant a lot of sleepless nights). I also reminded her that I couldn't call in sick at my job, I never get any vacation time and the hours are long.
Normally, I'm all for encouraging women to stay home with their children. I believe it is very rewarding and it is in the best interest of the whole family. However, I do not take it kindly when people have negative remarks to say about me being a stay at home mom (SAHM). Just because I am not out somewhere at a 9 to 5 does not mean that I do not have a job. If you are a SAHM or have ever been one you know exactly what I am talking about. Everybody's situation is unique so just because you work outside of the home doesn't mean that you don't value your children and family too (don't get me wrong on that either). I'm just saying that some people are sometimes too negative about women who choose to be stay at home moms. We are often looked up on as lazy or as uneducated women which I'm none of the above and both my BS and MS degrees are hanging on my wall to prove that).
In any case, to humor my friend I told her that she was free to quit her job but in my case I didn't have that option (not unless I wanted to be locked up for negligence, being called an unfit mother, and whatever else they could throw at me). I think people need to realize a few things about the whole "the grass is greener on the other side" mentality:
1) Like everything else in life, keeping the grass green WILL require work. You can't expect to have a great life without hard work. If you see someone with a nice big house, an awesome husband and a shiny new luxury car, chances are they worked really hard for them (and are still working hard to keep them). They were not handed down to them freely (there are some exceptions of course). Stop being so envious of someone that you allow the devil to lie to you and tell you that "the grass is so much greener over there" and if you could just steal that other person's husband, your life would be great. THE DEVIL IS A LIAR!! Please remember that. He comes to lie, steal and destroy. He doesn't want any thing good for you so how could you possibly think that what he has in store for you is good? People get so caught up sometimes in "the grass is greener" mentality that they truly believe that their lives would be so much better if only they had the new job...the luxury car...the big house...the "A" husband/wife. They cannot be happy for someone's blessings because they are so "green" with envy.
2) Do not assume that someone doesn't deserve something good and you are such a good person that you deserve it more. First of all, if YOU were as good as you claim you would not be thinking that way. Because that type of thinking is pure evil. Be content with what you have. Realize that what you already have and anything else you may receive is a blessing. We are not guaranteed anything in life. Do not let the devil lie to you again and tell you that you deserve something more than so and so. You don't know what so and so went through to get to the place where they are at. Until you walk in their shoes you may never know...