Dropping Envy And Sprouting Patience

Hello friends and welcome to Blogtober. This year’s concept is an autumnal metaphor that I came up with: In fall, trees drop dry, decaying leaves that are not beneficial to the tree. In the same manner, uswhobelieve, can drop things (at the feet of Jesus) that are not beneficial. And, just as the trees sprout new leaves, we can replace our ‘dead leaves’ with good.

Our ‘dead leaf’ that we can drop today is: Envy.

Google defines envy as a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck. This is one of the big ones (in the ten commandments) but besides that, let’s see where else we find this ‘leaf’ in God’s word.

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 4:2-3

As you can see, it’s better in the long run to ditch envy, but I know this is easier said than done. So, how can we stop being envious? A heavenly, and not worldly, perspective helps.

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

1 Corinthians 3:3

We are not acting Christ-like when we let envy control us, we are acting upon the flesh.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Instead, let us have joy for those who have blessings that we don’t, let us show love towards them, and let us be patient and kind. Our ‘leaf’ of envy has fallen away and now we can sprout patience. Patience in the waiting for our blessings to happen and because love is patient.

There is always joy to be found and joy to be had.