philosophical Thoughts, Life Advice, and Unpopular Opinions

Deadly sin #1- Envy

I suppose we should start this post out by defining what envy is. Simply put, envy is wanting something you don't have. Whether it's your neighbors nice car, the fact that your best friend just got married while you just got dumped, or your coworker that got that promotion instead of you. We're so focused on what we do not have, we fail to see the things we do have! So why is this a deadly sin? Even Solomon understood the seriousness of envy. He says in Proverbs 27:4 that "Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous". It kills relationships for one. Name me one good, healthy relationship you know of that had envy in its mix. Can't think of one? Neither can I. To the extreme, people have been known to MURDER out of jealousy. Take Cain, for example. He killed Abel out of jealousy. It's difficult to love someone we envy, because we end up resenting them for having something we want but don't have. Envy can sound like "That chick can fit in a size 0! Gosh, I hate that skinny girl!" "That stupid guy gets paid twice what I do! Jerk!" We can sit there and envy and covet all day long, but let's be honest; when has that ever gotten us what we wanted? Sitting there wallowing in our envy will never get us what we want. In fact, the only thing envy ever does is make us feel far worse while the person we're envying gets our hate for something they didn't even do to us! It really is a wretched, green monster that attacks not only us, but those we love. So shouldn't we do everything in our power to defeat this ugly green monster that attacks us and our loved ones and makes us spiritually ill? 

So how do we remedy this sin? How do we fight it off? Well, I believe the best way to ward off envy is to practice gratitude. Give thanks to God for what he has given you instead of dwelling on what he hasn't. Celebrate with your loved ones when they receive good fortune. This is a part of what love is; celebrating someone's good fortune as if it were your own. Understand that every good thing you have is an undeserved gift from God. Also remember that God promises to give us everything we need, not everything we want. And remember that God gave us the best gift of all; his love and grace.