The Bible says
”
love does not envy.
”
Well, maybe love doesn’t envy, but we sure do!
The Bible says “love does not envy.” Well, maybe love doesn’t envy, but we sure do!
Now perhaps you’re thinking, “What’s wrong with being envied?” Well, let me ask you this: Have you ever seen someone who was not content with what he had after he discovered what a neighbor or co-worker had? Have you ever seen best friends separated because one achieved something the other didn’t? Can you honestly say that envy has never caused you to resent someone else?
A primary reason for this is the basic inclination of the human heart. Titus 3:3 describes our natural condition: “Our lives were full of resentment and envy.” Notice how this verse says resentment and envy go together. Moreover, the Bible tells us that envy is the root of all sorts of problems: “For where you find envy… things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats” (James 3:16).
One of my favorite games as a kid was “King on the Mountain.” A bunch of us would fight for the right to stand on top of a little hill and say, “Look at me, look at me, I’m on top!” I outgrew my love for that game, but apparently a lot of us haven’t. We still fight for the right to be at the top of the hill saying, “Look at the car I drive. Look at the clothes and jewelry I wear. Look at the color of my credit card. Look at me, I’m on top!”
Why avoid envy? “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones!” (Proverbs 14:30). Envy is like a cancer; it eats you up. If you discovered cancer in your body, what would you do? Wouldn’t you want to remove it as soon as possible? We need to do the same thing with the cancer of envy.
The question, of course, is how we can rid ourselves of it. The Bible has a wealth of information on how to get rid of envy, but let’s consider what is perhaps the most important step in removing the cancer of envy: Quit comparing yourself to others. Comparison is the root cause of envy.
Have any of you ladies ever gotten your house decorated in a way you were happy with and then visited a friend who’s house has just been redone in the newest colors and top-quality furniture? Have any of you men been satisfied with your tools until visiting your new neighbor’s garage and discovering what happened to Tim Taylor’s tool collection after “Home Improvement” was canceled?
Someone once said, “Nothing depreciates your car as quickly as your neighbor buying a new one.” Take the advice found in Galatians 6:4, “Let everyone be sure to do his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work done well, and won’t need to compare himself with someone else.” And realize this: Envy is a choice. Instead of being resentful of others when they’re successful, be happy for them. Follow the Bible’s instruction to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Envy is the exact opposite: It rejoices when others fall and weeps when they’re doing well.
Have you ever had a hard time handling the success of others? Have you ever found yourself asking, “Why did they get the promotion instead of me?” “Why are they going to Hawaii and we’re not?” “How did they lose weight on their diet while I religiously followed National Enquirer’s miraculous ‘Eat anything you want’ diet and didn’t lose a pound?”
Don’t buy into the myth that says, “My success is based upon someone else’s failure.” It’s simply not true; God has enough goodness for everyone. There’s an old country song that laments about “lookin’ for love in all the wrong places.” The same could be said for those of us who seek to find happiness in comparing ourselves to others.
Bob Dylan gives some good advice in one of his songs: “Don’t go mistaking paradise for that home across the road.”
Henry Harris is Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church in Hollister. Your questions and comments are appreciated. Write him in care of the church at 330 Tres Pinos Road, Hollister 95023, e-mail him at ha**@ga****.com or call 636-5353.
