«Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?» (Matthew 20:15).
Behind every emotion—especially the darkest ones—there is a question about God. If we could scrape the surface of envy with a coin, what do you think we would discover? According to psychologist Dan Allender and the theologian Tremper Longman, authors of The Cry of the Soul, envy «vocalizes the crucial question: is God good; will He satisfy my hunger? Or will He bless others and leave me empty-handed?»
We generally are not jealous of those with whom we cannot compare ourselves to. No one is envious of Queen Elizabeth Il of the United Kingdom regardless of how much money she has. No one is jealous of Einstein’s intelligence or the beauty of Miss Universe (except the other contestants). To be jealous, there has to be a connecting element. That is why it’s just our friends and neighbors who can make us more envious.
Harboring envy contaminates us with ingratitude, turns our friends into competitors, and the world into a battlefield. «In a nutshell,» Craig Groeschel wrote in Soul Detox, «envy is when you are annoyed by God’s goodness in other people’s lives, and you ignore His goodness in your own life. It’s when you think, ‘They have something I want. Something they don’t deserve. They shouldn’t have it.’ » Envy comes from comparison. The Bible teaches that instead of comparing ourselves, we should celebrate the successes of others (see Romans 12:15).
David and Jonathan were able to be excellent friends because Jonathan was willing to celebrate David’s successes at great personal cost (1 Samuel 23:17). John the Baptist celebrated the popularity of Christ’s ministry, even though his own ministry declined (John 3:29, 30). In order to celebrate the successes of other women, we must recognize the question of envy: Is God good to me? Of course! God loves me unconditionally and forever. Rooted in the immensity of this undeserved love, we can let go of envy and comparison. We can accept God’s sovereignty to bless each according to His plan and celebrate the successes of others.
Dear Lord, I want to stop comparing myself to other women.
Root me deeply in Your love. You bless me generously and undeservedly. I believe; help my unbelief.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.
