Defeating the Green-Eyed Monster

"Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes." - Proverbs 27:20


When we think about jealousy and envy, we usually think of all the things other people have that we don't - looks, skills, opportunities, health, etc.  We think our issue is with the person who possesses what we lack, but that's not true.  Let's face reality.  God could have fixed all of that for us.  Whatever he gave your neighbor, coworker or sibling, he could have easily given you.  The complaint is not they have something you want; often, the complaint is more likely that while God was passing what you wanted out, HE SKIPPED YOU!  

If God hadn't made you to pack on extra weight there, you would feel better going to the beach.  If he hadn't allowed your hair to fall out from male-pattern baldness, you would have more confidence.  If he had made you smarter, you would have gotten into the right school and your career would have taken the fast track.  We could go on and on, but the real question is, what was God thinking?  What he did for them he could have done for you too.  But he didn't.  Your problem isn't with him, her or them; your problem is with the Creator.  He owes you.

Now, if you find the idea that God owes you something a bit ridiculous, then you are on the verge of a breakthrough. The truth is, we owed God a debt we could never pay - so he paid it.  Our disappointment for not getting what we want fades away when compared to the truth that we have been given what we needed most.  In light of who Jesus is and what he did for us, God doesn't owe us anything.  We owe him everything.

So how do we defeat this complaining that we don't have what we want?  The answer is simple, but incredibly hard to live out.  We celebrate the successes and joys of those we have tended to envy.  Go out of your way to verbalize your congratulations until it becomes habit.  Its the only way to overcome this complaint.  Celebrating how God has blessed others will help you see more clearly how He has blessed you... how you have been "stuffed" beyond measure with the goodness of God.  Whose success have you been slow to celebrate?  Who deserves a pat on the back?  A phone call?  A congrats?  It is time we refuse to give in to the negative tendencies that well up inside us when others succeed.  So... today (not tomorrow) find that coworker, friend, rival, whomever... find them and publicly celebrate their success.  I promise you, this is a habit that changes everything!

Pastor Josh