Slaying Dragons: Jealousy — Thursday
Proverbs 14:30
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (NIV)
In the fall of 2020, I was supposed to spend a semester down in Orlando doing the Disney College Program. I had dreamt of doing this program since I was a teenager and had worked it into my schedule to be able to do it during my senior year of college. I had secured my dream job within the company and was set to be there during my favorite time of year—the holidays. But as you could probably guess, the pandemic took that opportunity away.
I was devastated that this dream was now gone and was likely never to return, but it was initially easier to cope knowing that everything else in the world was shut down, too. It wasn’t until the fall of 2021 when I saw friends of mine get to complete their program that I felt jealousy in a way I had never experienced. I knew that jealousy ate away at people, but I never thought I would be that type of person. I love to celebrate my friends and their accomplishments, but it became much harder to not be envious when something I so badly wanted had been taken away from me and not them.
Teddy Roosevelt is credited with saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When we spend our time looking at what other people have that we don’t, we are left with such a negative mindset that it becomes toxic to our whole being. In fact, our verse today from Proverbs even goes so far as to say that envy rots the bones. The NLT describes it as cancer. It eats away at our being and destroys us from the inside out. In order to overcome this, it takes an intentional change of perspective—one that I’ve found possible only by inviting the Lord in to help. For me to be able to lay my jealousy aside and not be bitter toward my friends who got to live my dream, I had to ask the Lord to show me how to be grateful for the experiences I wouldn’t have had if I did get to do the program. And thankfully, He was more than willing to help bring me back to a place of gratitude and peace.
Thursday’s Reflection
It’s extremely hard to overcome jealousy on our own. That’s why we must ask for help. Pray this prayer today: Father, I am so grateful for the things you have given me. Forgive me for the times I’ve forgotten to be grateful. Help me see these gifts in a new light as I start to live each day in thanksgiving. Amen.