Envy

Self awareness is something that’s really important if you’re wanting to continue growing in your life with Christ. When we aren’t self aware, it causes us to become comfortable with where we are at, and reject that there’s always room for improvement in our lives and areas in which we need to be more like Christ in.

Envy is one of those areas in my life that I often overlook. Subconsciously, I know it’s there and that I am envious, probably everyday, but it’s not something that I’m always aware of in my life.

Envy is defined as “the desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to someone else.” Not only does envy cause us to not be content with what we have, but it causes many other downfalls in our life.

First, envy causes us to forget all of the blessings that we currently have. It causes us to be unthankful for everything that God has given us, when in reality - we don’t deserve anything. Envy causes us to complain more about everything we don’t have and wish we did have, than praise God and be grateful for everything that we do have.

Second, envy causes us to misunderstand why God gives us things or allows us to go through anything we are going through. God is a good God. He created us and everything around us and is in control of everything, yet we so often jump to anger and disappointment about our circumstances. Have you ever thought that maybe the tough thing that God is allowing you to go through is his way of teaching you something and allowing you to grow in him? Perspective is the key for everything, and if we are so caught up in wishing our lives were like someone else’s, we forget to spend time with our Heavenly Father and look for ways that he may be using that situation in our lives to grow us.

Third, envy makes everything about us. It puts us in the center of our world and looks down on everyone else when they get a good thing and we don’t. The life of a Christian is about putting others first and looking for ways we can love people more. We were given this life by God to live it on purpose for him, so who are we to think that it is all about us and no one else.

In putting ourselves at the center, we often think that we’re deserving of that thing that we’re envious of. And in that, we forget what we truly deserve in the end. Jesus came so that we didn’t have to get what we truly deserve. We should be thankful for what we have because Jesus took all of our sin and shame upon himself so that we didn’t have to get what we deserve - eternal separation from God.

Fourth, envy makes us question God. It makes us think that we know better than God does, even though we have such a limited perspective. But in reality, God can see the big picture. He knows what’s going to happen 5 minutes from now and 5 years from now. So why do we think think that we should get to dictate how our lives pan out?

Lastly, envy causes us to forget God’s goodness. When we forget his goodness, we don’t trust him anymore and stop spending time with him. This is probably the worst consequence of envy, because it causes separation between us and God. God longs for us to run to him when we don’t understand what’s going on in our lives. No, he may not immediately give you an answer that makes you understand why you’re going through it. But he will comfort you, and love you, and give you peace to be content and thankful that even when we don’t understand, he does.

Gods got you. Never question that. Even when things get tough, push through. There’s a bigger and greater plan in store for you. Be patient and persevere.

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:1-3

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34