The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Jealousy- the green-eyed monster. Siblings are notorious for being jealous of each other, and it seems that does not change when we grow up. We are jealous of others who have a nicer car, a bigger house, fancier clothes. Proverbs 27:4 says "Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy?" Jealousy can consume our hearts and minds. If we keep our focus on what others have, instead of being contented with what we have already, life will be a foolish existence.
I used to be jealous of people who drove nice cars. But something changed in me and the jealousy disappeared. I see a nice Mercedes or Porshe drive by and I am happy for that person. Yes, I am truly happy for that driver! Surprised? I love my car even though it's almost 10 years old. My Soobie has been through multiple ice storms and blizzards, not to mention the occassional mountain 4x4 road, and it's a fun car to drive. Sure, a Porshe would be cool, but I am content with the car I have. What changed in my heart? What caused me to move from jealousy to contentment? It was a realization that stuff on earth really doesn't matter in the big scheme of life and death and eternity. Proverbs 14:30 says "A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away." Why would I want to waste precious energy on being jealous when I know it's a foolish pursuit?
Speaking of cars, have you seen the new Cadillac ad on tv? A woman is driving and talking about her favorite things. She pulls up next to the same Cadillac driven by a man. She comments that one of her favorite things is joining the boys club, meaning that she is driving a car just like the man is driving. That ad is really about jealousy and the pursuit of something that someone else has. It is coveteousness at the core. This is a common theme in our culture today. The "keeping up the Joneses" mentality is everywhere, and boy is it hard to not fall victim to it! How do I as a parent teach my child to be content with the things he has, and not spend his time wishing and hoping for things he sees on tv? I want him to have toys he enjoys, but feeding the green-eyed monster in him (and in all of us) will only make him want more and more, which ultimately leads to dissatisfaction.
Is the green-eyed monster alive in your life? None of us are perfect and we all experience jealousy and envy, but we can change those thoughts and feelings by making the choice to be content, and by asking God to give us a contented heart.
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4 comments:
Great thoughts! I understand the dilema of teaching the boys to be happy with what they have. One thing we have done, that we have found to have a very positive impact, is teaching the boys to give. Every winter around Christmas, and every spring around their birthdays, we go through all of the boys things (and ours too) and we decide what we're going to give to charity. We show the boys that we have more than we need, and others will be blessed by us passing on our bounty to them. The green-eyed monster shows his face every now and then, but for the most part, our boys have blessed us with their satisfaction in life.
We had to work thru some of those same feelings because of working in such large houses with lots of life's luxuries. We came to the same place you did, we are truly happy people can have such homes and be able to hire us to make them beautiful. In time, we became less impressed with a home's size or ameneties. As Brenda says, "It's just a house." I'm glad you and Heather are teaching your boys lessons about avoiding jealousy.
What great writing!!! You are very inspiring!!
Elan,
Thanks for your observations about jealousy; it truly is a green-eyed monster. As you say, in regard to things, a contented heart is a great treasure to be diligently guarded.
Dad
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