Money and Grass....day 3 of the Challenge

We often hear the saying, 

Is it really or is our field of vision to narrow?  Are we so focused on what we don't have or how bad we have it that we can't see clearly what is right in front of us or even all around us. I may look at your life and think that you have it pretty good, that maybe, if it were possible, I could trade you places and everything hard and wrong with life would just disappear.  Chances are after a short time I would want my life back. My shortcomings, my trials, my blessings, my weaknesses, exactly what our Heavenly Father intended for me to have.
Money stresses me out. Money makes me so grumpy when it is tight or there isn't enough.  for instance, When I take a kid to the dentist and walk away $120 later with another appointment scheduled for 2 days later knowing it will cost me $200 to walk through the door and that won't be the end of it... That makes for one unhappy me.  I know that money is just money.  But it is MONEY and everything cost way to much money. I spent some time today thinking how nice it would be to have a lot of money. To be able to hand over hundreds of dollars for an hour at the dentist and walk away happy. 
That my friends is not my life.  the scriptures teach that money is the root of all evil.  (1 Tim 6:10) I think that having money can lead to evil and the lack of money can lead to unrighteous actions and thoughts.  Satan has a lot of control over money and our thoughts about money, mostly in my opinion because everything this world has to offer revolves around money and how much of it we have.  Do I think that money brings happiness, Not at all, but it would be nice to have a little bit more than I do.
It is a pleasant day dream for me to have a nice car, a nice home with room for everyone and everything, to have my kids in whatever extracurricular activities they want, to buy new clothes and shoes on a whim, to travel and vacation, to eat out when and where ever we want, to be able to give without a thought or a sacrifice being made. To not have the stress of money weighing me down on a daily basis.  BUT, I could also see myself losing focus of the stuff that matters most, my family, the Savior, my obligation to teach my children and to serve in the church. If we don't have to struggle in this life, if we don't have to find ways to pay outrageous dentist bills or whatever it may be, how will we learn? How will we appreciate it when we don't have to stress about things?  There is a time and a season for all things.  All things....not just some things, but all things.  That knowledge is a blessing by it's self. 
There is a reason we struggle. there is also a reason that I have my struggles and you have yours.  Chances are if you visit my grass that looks green and soft and fluffy, you will find that it is spray painted green and very bumpy under the fluff. Chances are that if we traded places with he who we covet most, our outlook will change and we will want that which was once ours.  Our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us. He sent us to this earth that we might have joy.  But in order to know joy, we must learn pain and suffering, struggle and strife.  We will never know if the grass is truly greener on the other side, but I am pretty sure that in the long run we will be ok with that.  As we progress though this earthly journey and learn and grow, our grass with be as green as we let it be and when we look back on our stories, we will find a lot more joy and love then we remember, there might even be a few flowers along the way that we somehow missed.  Some how the gospel has that effect on us.