Are You Green With Envy?

On this Saint Patrick's Day instead of asking if you are wearing your green... the question should be... Are you "green" with envy?

Do you begrudge another’s good fortune because you feel the good fortune should have been yours? Does it make you uncomfortable when someone has more acclaim, prestige, or possessions than you? Do you ever speak with contempt, or unkindness, or severity about someone with more than you? Do you have any tinge of satisfaction when someone who has more than you is "brought down?" Do you carry old grudges?

Envy/covetousness is one of the deadly sins to which no one readily confesses and yet it is rare to find anyone completely free of its grasp. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17

Envy will always destroy relationships. Often it is a relative who seems to be the most envious and this person can drive families apart. Envious people often tear down another’s accomplishments by belittling or sometimes subtly uttering well-aimed negative comments. Have you ever gone to a person to share good news? The look of ambivalence you received lets you know you hit an “envy nerve.”

Envy is counting another's blessings instead of your own. If you are honest with yourself, everyone would have to admit they have experienced envy at some point in their life. It's the battle with our flesh that wants to say "what about me." However, if you simply are unable to bear the good fortune of others then "the green-eyed monster" has captured your heart.

What spirit do you now find as you search your heart? Individuals attempting to deal with problems of jealousy and envy should strive for critical and realistic evaluation of their own capabilities, both positive and negative. After making the evaluation, they should then give thanks for their strengths and recognize that it is usually impossible to possess everything in life that is valued.

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:24-26.