“You shall not covet [that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire] your neighbor’s house…or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17 (AMP)
In a culture driven by consumerism, it’s not easy to be content. We all struggle with envy. We all want what we want and lean toward resentment when we can’t have it. We envy every time we scroll Instagram and stop on ads that tell us we need new things we never even knew existed. We envy every time we view someone’s vacation or wedding photos and wish we had a week of rest and relaxation or a relationship that others envied. We envy every time we look at the success of another person and say things like “He doesn’t deserve that job and salary!” or “She is spoiled rotten!” All the while, we are longing to be them and have what they have.
The only way to combat the envy in our hearts is to fill our hearts with gratitude. And gratitude has nothing to do with wanting more blessings and everything to do with focusing on the countless ones we already have. True contentment will never come from keeping up with others in life, in accomplishments, or in stuff. It will come from keeping up with JESUS…in love, in grace, in humility and gratitude. While Jesus was on earth, He didn’t sit around envying others. He didn’t look around and wonder why He wasn’t being blessed. Instead, He set out every day to be a blessing to others and to change people’s lives.
When you remember what you have, rather than listing all the things you don’t, it turns envy around. It turns what you have into enough and the stuff you desire into meaningless clutter. Only a humble and grateful heart, a heart like Jesus, will move you from desiring blessings to BEING a blessing. Focus your heart on every single thing for which you are thankful, because every blessing you count kicks envy farther and farther from your heart. Then set out every day to be a blessing and change lives…just like Jesus! You are loved!
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9