For all of us, single or married, there is a great piece at GirlTalk on A Holy Longing. Here is an excerpt:
One sure indicator as to whether or not a good desire has morphed into an idol is how we respond when someone else gets the very thing that we want but don’t have. When a close friend—who was perfectly happy to be single—up and gets married, and we are, literally, left behind. Or when, as is the case for a friend of mine, we know five other girls who are pregnant and we are not.
And what about the woman who gets married younger than us, whose job is more glamorous than ours, whose house is bigger than ours, whose marriage is better than ours, whose life is easier than ours, whose children are more well-behaved than ours, whose popularity is brighter than ours, whose intelligence is greater than ours? Need I go on?
8 Comments
Wow, what a great, succinct article on envy. Ouch. I think it is very appropriate considering the subject matter here at YLCF of late.
Thanks for posting that, Natalie. I missed that article on GirlTalk while I was in the States.
yeah, it is interesting timing isn’t it? I didn’t post this til now…don’t know why…but suddenly, here we go, this is the day.
Providence.
That really does get to the heart. It can be so tempting to always look at others and think, “Why doesn’t that happen to me!?” I find that when this thought starts to arise and linger, its usually because I’m not counting my blessings, or trusting God’s goodness for my life. I am then reminded of Peter, looking back at John and asking Jesus what would happen to him. Jesus’ response is always what rings in my ears when I find the green monster growing, “If I want (fill in the blank for that person), what is that to you? You follow Me.”
I really want to always be happy for others, even when it’s possibly something I’m still hoping for. Sometimes that is hard. I find that remembering that God has a different plan for their life than my own helps me to understand that I can’t compare my life to another person’s life. And it helps me to remember how beautiful differences in our lives really are:-)
Very thought provoking article. How easy it is to fall into being envious – to whatever degree! Definitely one of those subjects that brings pain when examined but so refreshing when repentance follows…
Thanks Natalie!
~Chelsea
Excellent post…thank you for sharing the link! And I agree with April…very timely and providential considering the recent subject matter here…
Great post… it really got me thinking. Lately God’s been showing me to be content and give over my wants and desires to Him. Its so difficult, especially when you see others moving ahead, and you’re still standing still. Yet God’s timing is perfect, and His will is for us is to be patient.
Thank you for posting this, it helped to remind me to keep my heart in check and be joyful for my fellow Christians who are being blessed! And to be thankful for the place I’m in, because its exactly where I need to be!
Thanks, Natalie! Definitely an ‘ouch’ for me, because the article rings true for me all too often. Oh well, the first step to a remedy is to see the need for it.
Love,
LM