I Want What You Have

There was a girl in my class named Debbie Reynolds and she had pencils with her name on them. I was so envious! I wanted pencils with my name on them but that was not an option that day. So, I did the next best thing. I got a pencil with "Debbie Reynolds" on it. She cried and told on me when she realized I had her pencil. The teacher asked me if it was Debbie's and I told her no, it was mine. The next thing I remember was heading into the cloak room and a paddle! Wanting what someone else has can get you in trouble!

In the Bible study I am doing a girl was saying that she can be so content and life is good and then she gets on social media and sees a group of friends got together without her and it is like a drive by shooting. Bang, bang, bang. Comparison and envy can kill you! She said when this happens we need to ask God for a heart transplant. Take our heart and replace it with His. Wise words! Comparison is the thief of joy.

We are not entitled to anything. Everything good thing is a gift from God. Jeremiah 17: 9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Envy happens when we feel we should have something that someone else has. We may even feel they should not have it at all. Envy can lead people to steal or kill. Saul was envious of David. David was more successful, and he received more praise. When that happened, Saul—who had his own successes—no longer heard the songs sung for him, but only the songs sung for David. And it made him rot on the inside. Proverbs 14: 30, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." When you compare yourself to others and decide that you don’t measure up, you can easily fall into envy. And that can make you rotten inside. Satan likes to point out anything that will cause us to complain and then he will list all the reasons we should be angry.

Avoid comparison! We should consider what Jesus told Peter when he fretted over John's place in Jesus' ministry. John 21: 21-22, "Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, 'But Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.'” We can begin healing when we recognize that envy is a sin. James 3: 14, "But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth." I read somewhere that humble admission is the single best antidote for prideful ambition. God stands ready and willing to help us overcome our weaknesses. 1 Chronicles 16: 11, "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

If we are envious we can count our blessings and thank God for what we have. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18, "...in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." God warns us about comparing our self to other's. Corinthians 10: 12, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."

Every time we compare we fall into pride or envy. Someone is always going to do a better job, make more money, have nicer things, look better, etc and you will get full of envy. Or if you think you do the best job, make the most money, have the nicest things, look the best, etc. then you will be full of pride. You will either find yourself superior or inferior. They both result from comparing and God says it's foolish. He made you unique and one of a kind and you lack nothing.

Galatians 6: 4, "But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another." Stop comparing yourself with other's and strive to become the best version of you! Everyone else is already taken!