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Defying Envy

Why do we envy the happiness and the goods of others? Because we are proud; we should like to be the sole possessors of talents, riches, of the esteem and love of all the world!—Saint John Vianney

Does your attitude ever change when certain people show up? Our attitudes are influenced by our thoughts and feelings about things and people, so it makes sense that some people might get us more stirred up than others. Instead of focusing on God’s blessings in our lives, we might look at what God has done for someone else and say, “I wish that were me.” That’s the feeling of envy.

Envy is the desire to have what someone else has, and it can lead to dangerous shifts in attitude, including resentment.

Envy is a theme of one of Jesus’ best-known parables: the parable of the prodigal son. In this story, a young man is eager to receive his father’s wealth and asks for his inheritance early. In this time and culture, such a request would have communicated that he wished his father had died already. Envy can lead to this kind of behavior—viewing people as little more than their stuff and success.

The son squanders the wealth he envied by living a life beyond his means. When he realizes he's reached the end of himself and that he’d be better off as a slave in his father’s home, he returns, defeated. But Jesus’ story contains a twist. Rather than turn his son away, the father runs to his son, embraces him, and throws a lavish party to welcome him home.

Envy isn’t done yet, though. The young man has an older brother who watches all of this play out. The older brother so deeply resents the grace extended to his sibling that he berates his father and misses the whole party. When we allow envy to color our view of others, we can unintentionally block our view of the abundance of our heavenly Father’s grace.

But grace is enough. When confronted with the feeling of envy, we don’t have to let it influence our attitudes. The father in Jesus’ story allowed grace and abundance to shape his attitude toward his son, and we can do the same, no matter who we’re having trouble loving. Our heavenly Father loves usand the person we envywith the same lavish love. How do we defy envy? By receiving and extending grace.

To whom will you extend grace this week? In what ways do you need to receive grace?

Pray:God, thank You that Your blessings fall on everyone. If there is any envy in my heart, please help me surrender it to You. Help me to love You all the more for Your heart to bless, instead of criticizing Your kindness to others. Let me be more clearly aware of Your deep grace for me and find contentment in it. In Jesus’ name, amen.