The "Not So" Jolly Green Giant

In ministry I have found that the most destructive thing I encounter almost everyday is envy, jealousy, the "green-eyed monster." We're funny aren't we? As blessed as we are, even Christians, we get thrown off so easily by those we perceived to have "more." I'm not just talking about money. I'm talking about everything. We covet other's friends, jobs, homes, children, spouses...I've even heard people say, "Boy I wish I only had THEIR problems!" It's insane...wanting someone else's problems because we perceive theirs to be less problematic. God forgive us. Take a look at some of these quotes I came across:

Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope. ~Josh Billings


Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own. ~Harold Coffin


Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies. ~Elizabeth Bowen


Envy is thin because it bites but never eats. ~Spanish Proverb


I've spent most of my life walking under that hovering cloud, jealousy, whose acid raindrops blurred my vision and burned holes in my heart. ~Astrid Alauda


Envy is a sin that grows in the background of another's preeminence. The seed of envy is the fruit of another person's accomplishments. It is the dread that the accomplishments of others will reach above our own. This is exactly what Saul saw in his new rival David. It says in 1 Samuel 18:30, "....And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed." David was a man that acted with prudence and with caution and as a result he prospered. "Base envy withers at another's joy, And hates the excellence it cannot reach" (Thomson). When David prospered, it angered Saul that much more. Dwight L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the bird saw a sportsman with a bow and arrow and said to him, "I wish you would bring down that eagle up there." The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but it didn't quite reach the rival bird because he was flying too high. The first eagle pulled out another feather, then another--until he had lost so many that he himself couldn't fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, turned around, and killed the helpless bird. Moody made this application: if you are envious of others, the one you will hurt most by your actions will be you. This was true of the Jews who delivered up the Christ to be crucified and it was true of Saul who was bent on living his life to kill David. This is also true of anyone today who becomes envious of others. We must cultivate the kind of mind that the apostle Paul mentions in Romans 12:16-18: "Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men and women." Let's be real and be happy for the blessings of others. The circumstances don't matter...bless them.