Jealousy is a strong emotion. In fact, according to Proverbs 27:4, jealousy is a stronger emotion than anger.
“Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?“
If honest, we’d all admit to struggling with envy.
Have you ever been jealous of someone else’s house?
Have you ever been jealousy of someone else’s kids?
How about someone else’s talents, gifts or abilities?
I tried for years to claim the gifts and talents of my older brother and sister. Even though I was taught that God had a purpose for my life, and in time, He would reveal it.
I felt the need to help God out and speed up the process. (Anybody?)
I thought to myself, “The only way to get rid of my jealousy is to help God get on with the plan.” Isn’t that what we do? God makes us a promise such as Jere 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future.” With that promise, it’s our job to simply trust. Instead, we seek ways to help God out.
I tried athletics like my brother. At first, my career looked promising. When I signed up to play softball, the coaches fought over me. Well, they fought over my name. They assumed I was as good as my brother. Boy, were they wrong. After a few practices, my coach quickly realized that I couldn’t throw, catch or hit a ball. At that point, he tried to trade me to another team. (How rude!)
Next, I decided to follow in my sister’s footsteps buy taking piano lessons, but music wasn’t my forte either. My piano teacher told my mother that instead of improving I was regressing. I actually knew less about playing the piano in the present week than I did the week before.
God was teaching me that, “When HE makes me a promise, it’s not my job to bring it about.” That’s so stinking hard! We fear He’ll forget us or something like that. When fear comes, that’s when it happens. Were attached by the green-eyed monster and we begin to play out a sequences of events that look something like this:
Fear produces doubt.
Doubt causes us to reason. (Girls, reasoning is always a bad idea. Bible says, “Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge God and He will make your paths straight.”) Once fear sets in and we begin to doubt God, our reasoning gives way to scheming.
Until we devise a plan. Our plan usually ends up creating bad consequences. This pattern is first seen it in the garden when Eve doubted God, began to reason with the serpent, and devised a plan. What was her plan? To eat the forbidden fruit. She turned to Adam and said, “Here, dummy, eat this.” And he replied. “Okay.”
Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, all women now struggle with 3 main temptations: The temptation to compete, to collect, and to control. These things steal our peace, contentment and our joy. It steals our blessing and our purpose and our witness.
Tomorrow, I’ll talk about two gals in the bible who struggles with envy resulting in competition, collecting and control and the affects it had on their lives. See you then!
Meghan says
I have such a difficult time not comparing myself to other moms. Mom’s that don’t have to work out of their homes and can do all the fun things with their kids. I want to be those moms. I have to remember that I love what I do, and that God is using me in HIS way in what I do in my work. I don’t need to be like those moms. I still get to do fun things with my son, plus I am able to be part of a wonderful miracle everyday at work.
Michele Caséca says
Oh, Micca!
I thougth I would never “hear” this wonderful message again!
Thank you so much for sharing.
You brought me back to that sunday morning, when after struggling for 4 days, I finally surrendered and gave my life to Jesus. And then Jesus surprised me with your wonderful message!
Thank you!
Michele