A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rotten to the bones. Proverbs 14:30
Envy has jealous green eyes. You know how it feels to be envious. The lonely teenage girl with acne envies the popular cheerleader with creamy clear skin. A young mother envies her single friend's freedom, while the single woman envies the married woman's love and security. Passed over for a promotion, an office worker envies another's climb to the top. Most people envy the accomplishments, looks, successes, and loves of others. Envy flashed its JADE eyes when it sees someone who has what you want.
Envy and jealousy can offer clues to who you'd like to be and what you'd like to change about yourself. Here is a simple exercise to help you transform envy into a self-help tool. Make a list of everyone you envy. Write down who they are, what qualities you envy, and an action step you can take to develop that quality into your own life. Be as specific and accurate as you can. If you envy someone her svelte figure, list exercising more and eating better for your action antidote. If someone's beautiful voice make you wish you could sing, perhaps you should invest in voice lessons. If you envy how much love another woman has in her life, cultivate love in your own life. The biggest changes begin with small actions. A positive action is a powerful antidote to a negative emotion.
Envy can keep you stuck, or it can be a catalyst for personal growth. You can choose to become more compassionate and empathetic. Though you may feel insecure next to someone else, you need to understand that envy colors the way you see the other person. Remember that you only see the outside, not the inside. She may seem secure and confident to you, but if you could look past the surface, you might discover that she's as envious of you as you are of her. You don't know someone's struggles. You don't know their hidden pain. Feelings of envy and jealousy are reminders to look for what lies beneath surface appearances. Perhaps the woman you envy is more like you than you realize, deep down inside.
When the snakebite of envy's poison clouds your vision, take an action antidote. Cultivate the qualities you desire in your own life. Learn to look past surface appearances. Become more generous and compassionate to others. Then the cold JADE green of envy will turn into the new leaf green of personal growth, enabling you to see the world with clearer vision.
(I WILL!)
LOOK BEYOND SURFACE APPEARANCES.
CHOOSE TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTIONS INSTEAD OF
DWELLING ON NEGATIVE FEELINGS.
PUT MYSELF IN OTHERS' SHOES.
THINK THE BEST OF OTHERS.
BE WILLING TO MAKE SMALL CHANGES TO BECOME
WHAT I DESIRE TO BECOME.
BE MORE COMPASSIONATE AND FORGIVING TOWARDS OTHERS.
(THINGS TO DO!)
PRAY AND ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
FROM YOUR FEEINGS OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY.
DO ONE SMALL THING TO CULTIVATE A GOOD QUALITY IN
YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ENVY IN ANOTHER.
WRITE A LETTER TO GOD THANKING HIM FOR YOUR
BLESSINGS, NAMING THEM INDIVIDUALLY.
DO A KINDNESS FOR SOMEONE YOU ENVY.
WRITE THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IN YOUR JOURNAL:
HOW DID I GET CAUGHT UP IN THE ENVY GAME?
(THINGS TO REMEMBER!)
LOVE IS PATIENT; LOVE IS KIND; LOVE IS NOT ENVIOUS OR
BOASTFUL OR ARROGANT. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4
WE'RE BLASTED BY ANGER AND SWAMPED BY RAGE, BUT
WHO CAN SURVIVE JEALOUSY? PROVERBS 27:4
WHENEVER YOU'RE TRYING TO LOOK BETTER THAN OTHERS,
OR GET THE BETTER OF OTHERS, THINGS FALL
APART AND EVERYONE ENDS UP AT THE OTHERS' THROATS.
JAMES 3:16
DON'T JUST PRETEND TO BE GOOD! BE DONE WITH HYPOCRISY
AND JEALOUSY AND BACKSTABBING. 1 PETER 2:1
jealousy and envious will eat at a person. we have no reason to envy another person for what we are really saying is that God made a mistake. God does not make mistakes. All of us have excellent qualities. If I (Diamond) even find myself being envious of another's good fortune or seeming or actual success, I need to change my thinking. God has my present and future worked out for me so there is no need for me to go in that direction.
reason for the post: in my family, i see the envy among the immediate members. i see the enviousness in my neighborhood-like an actual hate that i don't deserve for i experience inner turmoil daily just getting out of the door. i don't even have the material possessions that my sisters have- but i have a heart and mind. and on my way to publishing my first two poetry books. they cannot stop that. what can prevent that is DEATH. that's it!
if you are reading this blog, you may not even have this situation, however you may know someone who is envious of you and your dealings and you realize that there is nothing you can do about it. however, if you do begin to feel a twinge of envy of someone for a moment, you can quickly dismiss it seeing the harm that it does to you. you are too valuable so don't even contemplate it. God did not make a mistake when He made you so............appreciate you and what you can do and don't dwell on another person and what they are doing!
have a great day!
checklist for life for women....create the life you really want...making the most of life's challenges and opportunities. a motivational book..inspirational. a small purple book, but powerful....
About Me
- Diamond
- I am a full-time student at a university studying the humanities and the arts. Psychology as the social science and art, music, photography and writing as the creative arts. This will enable me to work with children and teens with bi-polar disorder to express their creative talents because they are there. I am a divorced woman, content for at this time God is enough in my life. I am childless but love children. I love quotes for they have so much meaning in my daily life.
4 comments:
Great post as always Diamond!! Just had this conversation with some folks yesterday. I remember years ago getting caught up in the whole "I don't like her, she thinks she's cute" phase. And a wise woman said to me, "What about her bothers you? It is simply a reflection of something in you." That was powerful & I remember it to this day. You are right - God doesn't make mistakes. We have to learn to relish, appreciate & honor who He created us to be. Embrace our uniqueness, our specific gifts & give others room to be who they were created to be. Speak truth Girl!!
Diamond, this is so true and real. I mean, those we sometimes envy are missing things we have. We all have unique qualities about us that GOD designed and he didn't make no "junk" so I appreciate your observations. They are right on POINT!
yes jackie..jealousy is rotten to the bones, does not one good. yes, i often heard that "she thinks she cutes and all that statement" and yet maybe the young lady really does not feel that way. it could be that the person saying that feels that way. i love your responses...and agree with them wholeheartedly. thank you. and i appreciate and love you just the way you are. there is no need for you to change to suite others.
Hi Mocha,
True and real are your statements and I do agree that sometimes those we may envy are missing things that we have even though we don't know it. So envy is just a waste of time. Treasure and love yourself. Focus on your excellencies in life, not someone else's.
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