On Envy

Is it inescapable? Will we always want what we don’t have? What is it that we get lodged in our brains that screams back at us that the grass is always greener on the other side? Why don’t we fully rejoice in others’ accomplishments and joys instead of holding back because we secretly wish it was us and not them? We spend our whole lives comparing ourselves: He/She got a better grade, a better car, an extra scoop of ice cream, homecoming queen, better paying job, better wardrobe, has more blog followers, more comments, easier life, more exciting life… Where’s the escape? Where is the turn off button?

Envy is downright tiring, depressing, & quite frankly, disgusting. Envy is a threat to our joy and concern for others. It makes a wreck of our faith. Contentment and joy cannot exist in envy. Envy is a community destroyer. I hate it! Every single day I hate it – I hate that it is in me, that I am so tied to the things of this world that I don’t allow myself to fully rest in the beauty that I was perfectly created.

My challenge to myself (and you too if you’d like to join) is to address my envy when it whispers in my ear. The destruction that abounds has everything to do with the direction of my gaze. So I will turn my eyes from the things I want to the things I have. Forget comparison; I am blessed. Period.

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