Beware of Envy

Envy...

 

Envy is what makes us pull our neighbor down so we could bring ourselves up.

 

Envy is what makes us go around spreading negative things about our neighbor to make ourselves look good.

 

Envy is what makes us resent our God-ordained role and task and makes us desire our neighbor's role and responsibilities.

 

Envy is what makes us frown at our neighbor's successes instead of rejoicing with our neighbor.

 

Envy is what makes us take our eyes off our God-chosen path...

 

Envy is what makes us blind to our own blessings, making us wish that we had the same blessings that our neighbor had.

 

Envy is what makes us destroy good relationships... hurt others and ultimately hurt and destroy ourselves.

 

Envy is what made Adam and Eve disobey God at the Garden of Eden.  Envy was the one that moved them to want to be like God.

 

Envy is what moved Cain to kill his brother Abel.

 

Envy is what made King Saul turn against his faithful servant David.

 

Envy is what made Sarai/Sarah treat her servant girl harshly.

Envy is what made Peninnah speak hurtful words to Elkanah's barren but beloved wife Hannah.

 

Envy is what made Miriam speak against her brother Moses.

 

Envy is what moved Joseph's brothers to plot against him.

Envy is what made Lucifer rebel against God and look at man with contempt.

 

Envy is what moved the Pharisees and Scribes to plot against Jesus... They were envious that Jesus spoke with conviction and authority.  They were envious that Jesus was drawing crowds.  They were envious that many people were being blessed by Jesus' works and presence.  They were envious that Jesus possessed much wisdom that they could not match. 

Photo source here.

Envy blinded them that they failed to recognize that Jesus is God's Anointed One, the Messiah.

 

Envy is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage."

 

Let us pray to God that He delivers us from envy... Let us guard our hearts and souls from it lest it destroys us and our relationships with others... Let us nip envy at the bud before we become instruments of the enemy in destroying the Church.

 

And if we had been victims of envious people, may we learn from Jesus how to deal with them.  May we follow His example and choose to be transition persons... persons who choose not to pass on the negative and hurtful actions of the very people who have hurt us by their envy.

This Lent, may we seek ways to build others up and help them succeed in what they do.  For in truth, we don't really need to pull others down for us to succeed or go up.  We don't need to seek to destroy other people's names just to make a good name for ourselves.  We don't need to envy our neighbors if they are being placed by God in roles that make them visible and noticed.  We don't need to envy how other people are being blessed by God.  For if God wants to promote and exalt us, He will without our help and intervention.  And we are already richly and abundantly blessed if we simply ponder on what we already have instead of counting what we don't have and our neighbors have. 

Let me end by quoting some verses in Holy Scriptures:

"Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!" Romans 13:13

In another version, Romans 13:13 says, "And let us walk in a right manner as those in the daytime, not in partying, not in drunkenness, not in orgies, not in envy or in fighting."

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:14-16

 

Have you been bruised or hurt by envious people around you?  Feel free to share how you have dealt with them by leaving a comment below.  Or have you been tempted to envy others? What did you do to resist and overcome the temptation?


Update: I recently discovered Catholic Bloggers Network when I joined the Keep Love in Lent blog link up.  I also found out that they have Monthly Link Up Blitz this 2013.  So, I'm adding this post to the Catholic Bloggers Monthly Link Up Blitz for February 2013 under the Readings and Reflections category.