Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
- Romans 12:10
Let’s talk about Envy.
How can we love and honor others above ourselves when we’re just plain old jealous of them?
Envy seems like a pretty harmless thing, right? But, I assure you that if we follow it’s progression, it gets real ugly real fast. Envy starts off as a little twinge. It’s that feeling you have when you’re like, “But, that’s not fair. I want that for me.” And, it’s totally normal; we’ve ALL been here. We have a desire for something that isn’t ours and we get jealous. But, what starts off small grows like malignant weed when it’s unchecked.
Unchecked jealousy grows into bitterness. It blocks our ability to be content and joyful. And simultaneously, it sprouts selfish desires that shade our judgement. When we’re jealous of someone, our love for them is choked out by insecurity, spite, and doubt. Full grown envy is a thicket of thorns cutting off relationships, stealing our energy, and making us distrustful and discontent.
So, what can we do when our hearts get jealous?
If you’ve ever let the weeds in your yard get out of hand, you know the value of “weeding something out” right away. Envy is like that. We have to weed it out of our hearts before it takes root and gets out of hand.
BUT HOW???
This is where we come to our verse. When we're loving and honoring someone over and above ourselves, we just can't be jealous of them. The love we have for them roots envy out of our hearts before it gets a chance to grow. You see, when we're celebrating the successes of other people, when we're joining them in celebrating what God is doing in their lives,
Is there anyone you're jealous of?
How might thanking God for his good work in their life help you love them? isn't any room for jealousy. A heart that is full of love simply doesn't give envy any space to grow.