It [love] refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (TPT)
Be Jealous – Love Series – Part 3
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7
Jealousy can seem harmless, like a storm in a teacup. Some of us might even enjoy people feeling jealous over us: it can make us feel wanted and preferred above another.
But that's the problem with jealousy. For it to exist, it needs rivalry. People against each other in a battle over worth, territory, privilege, and some would say, love. It deals in fear and scarcity and feeds on suspicion and greed.
More than harmless, at its core, jealousy is devastatingly corrosive and is one of the engines of dualism, empire, and violence. “Us versus Them.”
It pits human against human in a game that never ends and has no winners. It ruthlessly guards personal resource, unwilling to share, opposing generosity.
How do you NOT be jealous? It’s so ingrained into our society. I'm often jealous of others: from my kids and husband to my friends and the famous.
I’m either insatiably wanting what someone else has, or trying to convey a message of my own achievements and importance.
In his book, “Hidden Things: Scripture as Spirituality” Richard Rohr says:
“Jonah doesn’t want to go and preach to the Ninevites because, like a member of any group, he does not like his God caring about other people! God has to shipwreck him and, through the marvelous imagery of the big fish, spit him up on the very shore he is fleeing from. Jonah moves into a jealous and resentful rage (4:1, 4, 9) when the Ninevites actually believe his message! (3:5). So Yahweh says to Jonah in the last verse of the book, “Am I not free to feel sorry for Nineveh?” (4:11). The foundation is being laid for a universal compassion, and not just a small superiority system, which is what Jonah, the unwilling prophet, seems to want. I think the story of Jonah is the much needed journey from ministry as mere careerism to ministry as actual vocation, from doing my work for God, to letting God do God’s work in and through me.” (Pg 146).
We need to let go. Become content. Thankful. Rid ourselves of comparison. I think that starts by letting “God do God’s work in and through (us)” rather than “doing my (awesome and amazing) work for God.”
It's a surrender to our original goodness and value. We are valuable because we are. Proving our worth above others does nothing to enhance our real value. Rather, it does everything to tear others down in a desperate bid to lift ourselves up.
I’m not sure, but I think one of the best ways to move away from jealousy is through the daily practice of prayer and meditation. Grounding yourself in a love that refuses to be jealous and does not brag. You are enough.
And when you can believe that you are enough, you can believe that others are enough, too. It’s this kind of love that sees all people as valuable no matter where and no matter what.
It’s difficult, I get it. And I'm not trying to shame us. Goodness, I battle with jealousy every single day. But I would rather battle against it than others, and fight for love to win out in my life.
I think a jealous-free-letting-go-kind-of-love can change the world and bring us together in the unity that we do in fact, all share.
We can reject rivalry. I'm reminded of the words of a ‘Gungor' song:
“We reject the either or
They can’t define us anymore
Cause if it’s us or them
It’s us for them
It’s us for them”
What do you think about jealousy? Comment below or email us at talktous@pktfuel.com
Over to you. Leave us your comments below.
Go to Part 4 – Shame Is »
[vcex_image_grid columns=”3″ pagination=”false” thumbnail_link=”custom_link” link_title_tag=”true” custom_links_target=”_blank” overlay_style=”title-category-visible” columns_gap=”5″ img_hover_style=”fade-out” image_ids=”20934,20935,20937″ custom_links=”https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1239768002?pt=118656308&ct=blog%20footer&mt=8,https://www.pktfuel.com/dailyemail,https://www.pktfuel.com/support” img_height=”350″]