{Be Real} Jamie on Jealousy
A knife that cuts us to the core
Out of no where, suddenly
It’s that feeling- jealousy
Have you ever heard of the term “green with envy”? Better yet, have you ever felt the color- deep and ugly, stained chartreuse, crawl over your skin, slowly working it’s way deep into your heart and poisoning your mind? Like an unwanted parasite destroying what your soul has worked so hard for- sucking every ounce of self worth, then leaving you a crippled and empty shell?
This may sound extreme, but there was a time where jealousy left me just like that- paralyzed and deeply disappointed.
Over the past year I have felt God whisper soft to me over this very issue. I could sense that voice echo deep, reverberating from the inside out until I could ignore it no longer. This jealousy was a sin. I know full well that sin destroys us, sweeps us dry from the inside out. Let’s call a spade a spade here- sin is a tar filled hole ready to steal every bit of joy right out of our cells.
The good news is that wherever there is darkness there is always Light just beating down the door to get in. Truth just waits for us to be ready to show us the way.
You see, the jealousy wasn’t my only sin. I would secretly wish that I was those whose work or accomplishments I coveted- and that meant I wasn’t happy with where God had placed me. On top of that, I would sometimes gossip about people who were successful, which was yet another destructive sin.
You didn’t think this would get so juicy, did you?
Well by the time the church bells starting going off in my soul, convicting me rightly of my own demise, I started to realize that jealousy was a poison that I no longer wanted to drink.
Which is why I’m so happy to share today what I’ve discovered to be an antidote for this problem.
And that antidote is prayer.Prayer opens up the windows and lets the doves fly out, and with all of that flapping and flutter, and the sun setting softly behind their wings, you can’t help but feel a sense of Joy. Gratitude comes with it and encouragement is not far behind. It’s a beautiful thing, a thing of light and goodness and grace.
The thing to do is to pray a blessing over anyone you feel jealous of. To be thankful for their success. And then write them a note or a letter and tell them how excited you are for them. Can you feel the wind on your face, that sense of peace overcoming, that sweet release?
For every jealous thought you feel, send up a prayer and watch a dove fly. Feel your heart lifted and be grateful that God provides opportunity and that number one opportunity is to bless someone else.
Believe me, a curse can’t stand well beside a blessing, and before you know it that JOY you’ve released is fluttering around your own soul. You’ve set the doves free, and in the process you’ve also freed yourself.
