Be Thankful

Have you ever heard someone say, "If I had what she has, I would be happy!" Have you ever wanted what someone else had?

Hey GEM girls! Have you ever looked at someone else and just wished you could be them? I know I have. Sometimes it seems like someone else's life is so much better than yours. Maybe she's popular and you're not. Maybe she has a nice car that you wish you could afford. It could be anything! But there is a little problem with that feeling. It's called jealousy and it's something we all encounter a some point in our lives. This is why we have the saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side." Wanting what other people have is part of our sinful human nature.

Growing up as a middle child I struggled with jealousy a lot. My older sister had privileges I didn't have. Because she was older, she got to drive a car first, get a phone first, and a lot of other things I wished I could have had too. I looked at all the things she had and it made me so frustrated and jealous to the point that it started to sabotage our relationship. I would snap at her just because it made me mad to watch her do things I wasn't able to do. I would give her the silent treatment because she had things I wasn't able to have. I wanted to be treated like her. The two years of age difference between us didn't seem to justify all her privileges.

On the other hand, my little brother was the baby of the family. Since he was the youngest he got all the attention. On top of that, he seemed to get away with a lot more than me. I began to become bitter because I thought my life was awfully unfair. I continued to compare myself to my siblings until I hated being the middle child. I convinced myself that my parents didn't like me as much as my siblings.

One day, I began to realize what I had been doing. I had also allowed my jealousy to damage my relationship with my siblings! After realizing this, I wanted to get rid of this awful jealousy, but I didn't know how. I talked to my mom about it and she suggested that the anecdote to jealousy was to simply be thankful! I began practicing being thankful for the privileges I did have and I found that by focusing on the positives in my life, my relationship with my siblings improved!

If you have found yourself envying someone else, you're not alone. In fact, covetousness (or jealousy) is one of the original sins. In a perfect heaven, Lucifer, the highest angel, became jealous of God. He coveted the praise and adoration that the angels gave to God and not Lucifer. He wanted to be as great as God. In Isaiah 14:13 it says, "You [Lucifer] said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.'"

The good news is that there is a way to overcome this problem of jealousy. Take time out of your day to thank God for the many blessings He has given you. Before you go to sleep at night, write down 5 things that you are grateful for! You'll be surprised when you discover all the good things God has put in your life!

What are you thankful for today? Share at least one thing in the comments below! ♥️

Love,

Your Sister in Christ,