Envy-Wrecking
Do you have a friend who looks good in absolutely everything she puts
on? Argh! The girl could drape herself in the cover of her car and look
classy enough for the fashion runway. If I draped myself in a car
cover, I guarantee that I would look more like a Buick. And I’ll just go
ahead and admit that I need to drop a few pounds off these fenders.
Envy is such a dangerous thing. It throttles peace- and worse, it leads
to anger, even rage. Psalm 37:8 says, "Stop your anger! Turn from your
rage! Do not envy others- it only leads to harm." (NLT) The envious,
angry person experiences painful harm personally. Proverbs 14:30 says,
"envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones." (AMP) But
it’s more than just personal rottenness. That harmful rotten character
often spreads, spilling over onto family and friends.
How do we avoid bone-rotting envy and wrath? We replace them with love.
1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that "Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy" (NIV) Love is the opposite of envy.
Anytime we catch ourselves envying, we can ask God to love that person
through us. He loves to answer that prayer. As He gives us love for the
one we’re tempted to envy, we discover that love always wants the very
best for others. It rejoices in the victories of others.