Mar 25 - DAY 41 - The Envy Trap

Day 41

The Envy Trap

O give thanks to the Lord,

for he is good;

for his steadfast love

endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

After writing one of the bestselling books of all time, why do you think – in the tenth anniversary edition – he adds a chapter called,  “The Envy Trap.”

My supposition is that he’s studied people for ten more years and this is one of the biggest barriers to joy and purpose that he still finds.

We can’t be happy If we’re

comparing ourselves to others.

There’ll always be someone taller, faster, smarter, better looking, and lighter in weight than us. There’ll always be someone who has a bigger house, newer car, and better job. There’s only one “best” in any category, and most of those folks are totally average in a million other categories.

What envy does is rob us of satisfaction.

But it’s even more insidious than that. Envy essentially causes us to spit in God’s face. (Whoa! That sounds harsh, but think about it …) Rather than being grateful for the way we’re created and for the gifts we’ve been given, we spend our lives complaining about the things we don’t have.

Children do this to their parents. In our society, all our kids have gifts and possessions than they’ll ever really need (even most very poor American kids are very rich compared to the world’s and history’s standards). So what do parents do when our kids complain about what they don’t have. At first, we roll our eyes. They’re being childish. But what happens when that complaining turns into their view of life. They’re dissatisfied with life and angry at you for not providing exactly what they want.

Have you ever had your kid essentially “spit in your face,” complaining about their gifts and “needing” more and bigger and better and different. We sure have. (Fortunately it occurred frequently enough and at an early enough age that our boys learned – through raised voices and strong consequences – not to complain! It always brought them worse results.)

I got mad as a father at complaining kids. How do you think our heavenly Father feels about the poison of our envy. If it’s rare, he’ll roll his eyes at our childishness. If it becomes a pattern, he’ll grieve.

The antidote to envy is thanksgiving. If your soul ever seems heavy, make a list of your blessings.

In Christ’s Love,

A guy who’s favorite

thankfulness song

is from Bing Crosby …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKxazgio2s